


Loved

by Dazzlious



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-12
Updated: 2017-03-12
Packaged: 2018-10-02 21:53:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 80,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10228298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dazzlious/pseuds/Dazzlious
Summary: Set a few years after the end of the books, the introduction of a pesky new marriage law means Julia has no choice but to settle into a marriage of convenience that neither she nor her new husband, Lucius Malfoy, want or need





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from J K Rowling's fantastic books or films, I'm just borrowing and playing with them for a little while and get no monetary reward for doing so. Original characters do belong to me but bear no resemblance to anyone living or dead.
> 
> A/N: I want to thank my beta, Mamacita for her usual good work, and you . . . yes, you for reading. Thank you :) Dx

‘No, I’m not saying that. What I’m asking is what the minimum period is.’

‘Minimum period?’ The official looked perplexed.

‘You know, what the least amount of time is that I’m expected to be bonded to Mr Malfoy.’

Julia saw her would-be husband’s eyebrows rise in amusement as the official blustered at her question.

‘Miss Carlisle, you are not taking this seriously. Bonding is an earnest and important business, not something to be trifled with,’ he said stuffily.

Julia looked angrily at the man. ‘You obviously misunderstand me, then,’ she said coldly, ‘because I’m taking this very seriously indeed. You’re trying to marry me off to someone I don't want to be with and who I’m sure has equally little desire to be with me. Therefore, I ask again: what is the minimum period we need to be together before we can apply for a divorce?’

The official sighed. ‘Miss Carlisle, your bonding will be permanent . . . there will be no divorce. The ceremony includes a binding spell to partner you for life. This bond can only be broken by death or in certain other exceptional circumstances.’

‘But then why can't I marry my boyfriend? He’s a Pure-blood, too. I wouldn't mind being stuck with him for the rest of my life.’ Julia’s tone was belligerent now.

‘The whole idea of this marriage law is to ensure that the best possible pairings are created to ensure the birth of strong children. We want to produce healthy and powerful witches and wizards, Miss Carlisle. Mr Malfoy is clearly a better match for you than your boyfriend, which is why the two of you were paired.’

‘But what if we can't have children?’ Julia asked.

‘Mr Malfoy already has a son from his previous marriage,’ the official said somewhat dismissively. ‘I doubt he will have any problems on that score.’

‘But I don't have any children. How do you know I even can? It might not be possible.’ Julia looked daggers at the unyielding official.

‘If that is the case then your partnership _would_ be considered void and the bonding would be annulled. However, I have to remind you that this would be an exceptional circumstance and would require further intervention from the Ministry in order to safely remove the bond between you, as any attempt to remove it yourselves will certainly end with your deaths,’ the official replied stiffly.

Julia took a moment to look more closely at the wizard she had been paired with. At first, she had thought the marriage notice was a joke. She had been with Nigel, her boyfriend, for over fifteen years, and although they hadn’t got round to getting married they had lived together for years. When the letter had arrived she had accused Nigel of winding her up, but soon it became clear that the Ministry of Magic was serious. Unmarried, she was fair game for the new law that had been passed, and she had an appointment to meet her husband-to-be the following week. A visit to the building in question confirmed that Nigel wasn’t to be her husband. As far as the Ministry were concerned he didn’t match with Julia, and another wizard had been selected to take his place.

So here she was, sitting before the Ministry official, and it turned out she was about to be paired with one of the most infamous wizards in Britain. She knew a little about Lucius Malfoy as he was forever appearing in the _Daily Prophet_. Exceptionally handsome and debonair with a massive fortune to boot, he was a suspected former Death Eater and it was well known that he had no love for Muggles. When the war ended his wife had divorced him in a flurry of publicity with accusations of cruelty and debauchery. Julia hadn’t bothered reading the stories at the time; she wasn’t really interested in what some racist pretty-boy Pure-blood was up to. But now she wished she had taken a bit more notice.

If she had been able to get a divorce from Lucius it would have been okay. She could have coped with a year or two of living married but separate lifestyles and then the split, she back to Nigel and Lucius to whoever he was currently in a relationship with. But life-bonding was a different matter. Particularly as she suspected her life would be considerably shortened by marriage to Lucius Malfoy.

‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ Julia retorted, sounding horrified. ‘And just how long do you think I’ll survive being married to a Death Eater whose hatred of Muggles is legendary? An hour . . . a day . . . do you think I’d manage to make a week?’

She saw Lucius’ smile widen as she spoke, his cold grey eyes watching her appraisingly, and she shivered. Actually, perhaps she would be lucky to make it out of the building.

‘Can I remind you, Miss Carlisle, that Mr Malfoy was cleared of all charges regarding his _alleged_ Death Eater activities,’ the official stated tersely.

‘Oh yes, I forgot. He was under the _Imperius_ Curse, wasn’t he?’ Julia replied. She glanced with dislike at the blond-haired man sitting next to her for a second, noticing his sneer as she spoke. ‘Well, of course, that puts a whole different light on things,’ she added sarcastically.

‘If you are really unhappy about the pairing you are entitled to refuse,’ the official reminded her.

Julia laughed bitterly. ‘Oh, yes. I can refuse and give up my right to be a witch. Such a fantastic choice: death or slow death. Thank you so much for that.’

‘I don’t believe you will be in any danger from your partner, Miss Carlisle,’ the official continued blandly. ‘And of course, measures are taken to stop any potential . . . ah . . . disagreements between couples.’

Julia saw Lucius stiffen slightly at this.

‘Measures . . . what measures?’ she asked carefully.

‘When the binding is placed upon you another charm is woven into it. If either of you were to die under suspicious circumstances within the first two years of marriage, the other will die of the same cause.’ The official dropped this bombshell as if he was discussing the weather or gardening.

Julia heard Lucius’ almost inaudible gasp. Well, that would be effective in stopping him from killing her or getting someone else to do it on his behalf.

‘In fact, we find that the relationship is quite often strengthened by this measure. After all, there’s nothing like someone constantly watching out for you to induce romantic feelings,’ the official said, smiling.

Julia gave a sharp laugh. She was sure that any feelings Lucius harboured for her for the next two years wouldn’t be romantic.

‘And what happens after two years?’

‘After that time the charm dissipates and then you’re on your own,’ the official said with the hint of a smile. ‘If you haven’t conceived by that time then you will be subject to the breaking of the bond and your partnership will automatically be annulled.’  

The official noticed Lucius’ smug look at this comment.

‘However, I should make it quite clear at this point that in order for the annulment to occur there will need to be evidence of regular attempts to conceive so the Ministry is certain that infertility is the problem, rather than a general reluctance to procreate.’ He sounded a little smug as Lucius’ expression turned into a scowl. ‘And finally, thanks to another piece of magic designed to help start you off on the right footing, the marriage must be consummated within seven days or both of you will begin to weaken and get progressively worse as time goes on. Let me assure you both that if you are stubborn about this, it’s possible you could end up dead.’

‘What?’ Lucius and Julia said at the same time. They both looked completely stunned at this revelation.

‘In the early days, we found that some couples refrained from procreation completely, intending to get through the two years and then part due to lack of conception, arguing for annulment as they cited lack of intimacy. Of course, this was not the intention of the law, so this extra measure was introduced to ensure that the partnership is lawfully consummated. We also find it tends to . . . erm . . . focus the couple on exactly what they are supposed to be achieving by the union.’

‘But that’s barbaric!’ Julia said unhappily. ‘You’re pairing up people who, in a lot of cases, don’t want to be together and probably aren’t even attracted to each other, and then you kill them if they don’t have sex.’

‘As I have stated previously, the reason for the binding is for the production of a strong race of wizards. Sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, Miss Carlisle.’

‘For the greater good? So how many Ministry of Magic wizards have been paired since this law was introduced?’ Julia asked, her voice bitter.

‘That is really none of your concern,’ the official said stiffly. ‘However, the single members of the Ministry are subject to the same laws as everyone else.’

Julia looked at Lucius again. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking but wondered if he was as horrified at what was happening to them as she was.

Before either of them had a chance to say anything further, and clearly determined to press on at all costs, the official continued, ‘Now, I have to officially ask each of you whether you accept the terms of the binding or wish to be released from the contract, in which case your wand will be confiscated and destroyed.’

He picked up a piece of parchment that had been lying on his desk and read from it as he faced the couple, occasionally glancing over the top of it.

‘Lucius Malfoy, you have been chosen to pair with Julia Louisa Carlisle. Do you accept the pairing in the full knowledge that you will be expected to live together as a married couple and bear children with your wife?’

‘I accept,’ Lucius replied smoothly, his straight white teeth bared in a perfect smile.

Julia realised that she had been holding her breath while she waited to see what he was going to choose.

‘Julia Louisa Carlisle, you have been chosen to pair with Lucius Malfoy. Do you accept the pairing in the full knowledge that you will be expected to live together as a married couple and bear children with your husband?’

Julia looked at the handsome yet undoubtedly evil man sitting next to her. Could she really stand to be married to him for at least the next two years? She thought of Nigel and her heart constricted. If she agreed to this their relationship would be over, but then, of course, she had no choice. If she didn’t agree she would be cast out of the wizarding world and she had a feeling that Nigel, regardless of his feelings for her, wouldn’t go with her. Even she, as a Muggle-born, didn’t want to spend the rest of her life exiled to the Muggle world, so it was hardly likely any Pure-bloods would take that option willingly.

‘I need your answer, Miss Carlisle,’ the official pressed, sounding a little concerned.

Julia took a deep breath. Was that a smirk she saw on Lucius’ face, and if so, what did it mean?

‘Yes, I accept,’ she replied trying to sound confident.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Julia and Lucius walked rapidly towards the exit, both clearly eager to be away from the Ministry and the sham of a marriage that had just occurred.

‘I assume you are packed and ready to move?’ Lucius asked dismissively. Julia didn’t reply but she looked uncomfortable. ‘You are, aren’t you?’ His tone grew colder and he looked at her critically.

She shook her head.  ‘I was hoping it wasn’t going to end like this,’ she admitted.

‘But surely you must have been aware before coming here that you only had two choices, both of which would require you to have done some packing,’ Lucius said, his tone patronising.

‘Nigel and I have lived together for almost fifteen years,’ Julia explained, feeling tears prickle at her eyes as she spoke. She had to make sure she didn’t cry in front of Lucius; he would probably love that. ‘How do I just let go of that?’

‘Well, you clearly weren’t right for each other,’ Lucius replied coolly.

‘What makes you say that?’ Julia asked, sounding defensive.

‘Fifteen years and you never got married. No wonder the Ministry split the two of you up.’

‘We never felt the need to get married,’ Julia retorted. ‘I mean, we weren’t having children or anything.’

‘Why not?’ Lucius asked. He gave her a sharp, inquiring look.

Julia shrugged. ‘Neither of us wanted them particularly. Maybe we would have changed our minds in a few years, but we’ll never get the chance now.’

Lucius looked at her, his face and voice dripping with scorn. ‘Pathetic.’ He shook his head. ‘Well, I’ll give you an hour to get sorted.’

‘An hour! That’s not long enough for me to pack up my entire life,’ Julia retorted indignantly. She realised she was shaking with anger, both at the Ministry of Magic, which had just completely ruined her life and at Lucius, who was so judgemental and unyielding.

‘Of course it is. You’re my wife now. I’ll come and get you in an hour. I suggest you be ready to go, I don’t like to be kept waiting.’

Without another word Lucius turned and walked away from her, not bothering to look back.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Julia used the Ministry’s Floo to get back to her home, where Nigel was waiting for her anxiously.

‘What happened?’ he asked as he hugged her tightly.

‘What do you think happened?’ Julia asked, clearly upset and more than a little angry with him, too. ‘I got married.’

Nigel looked upset, too, but didn’t say anything, he just held her more tightly. ‘We can work something out, though, surely? Do you think he’ll give you some freedom?’

Julia shook her head and laughed bitterly. ‘No, I think there’s very little chance of that happening. God, Nigel, it was awful. I’m bound for the rest of my life to my new husband.’

‘Did you at least get someone nice?’ he asked gently.

Julia shrugged. ‘What do you think? It’s Lucius Malfoy.’

Nigel looked shocked. ‘But you can’t. Gods, Julia, don’t you remember what he’s like? All those awful things his wife said about the stuff he did?’

Julia shook her head vigorously. ‘No . . . I never read the stories that were printed about him and I really don’t want to know now, Nigel. He’s my husband whether I like it or not . . . for the next two years, anyway.’

She told him about the exact terms of the contract as she began to collect the most important of her belongings together, packing them into her old school trunk as she didn’t have time to organise anything more stylish.

‘He’s not going to let you see me, is he?’ Nigel asked unhappily.

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Julia replied honestly. ‘He’s only given me an hour as it is, which definitely isn’t going to be enough time to get everything packed up and sorted. I’m sorry, Nigel.’

He pulled her close again, kissing her hair as she cried into his chest. ‘I know you didn’t have any choice,’ he said tenderly. ‘I just wish it hadn’t been him.’

‘I wish it had been you,’ Julia told him honestly. She tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice as she added, ‘Why didn’t you marry me when you had the chance?’ Then, turning her face to his, she pulled him into a kiss.

 

. . .

 

‘I have to go,’ Julia said apologetically. She bent down to kiss Nigel before sliding out of bed and pulling on her clothes.

‘Make him wait.’ Nigel sounded belligerent.

‘I don’t think so. This is Lucius Malfoy we’re talking about,’ Julia replied with a shudder. ‘I don’t think he’s used to waiting for anyone.’

‘What’s he going to do? He can’t kill you. You told me there’s a spell stopping that from happening.’

‘No, he can’t. But I bet there are whole layers of torture he can use instead,’ Julia replied. ‘Nothing like that is covered by the spell.’

‘Oh gods, don’t say that,’ Nigel said miserably. ‘I’m having enough trouble letting you go as it is without worrying about what he’s going to be doing to you.’

‘I’ll be fine, love,’ Julia assured him as she bent down to kiss him again. ‘I’m hoping once we get settled down there might be a way to see you. I mean, he doesn’t want to be married to me any more than I want to be with him. So maybe it will all work out in the end.’ The doorbell rang. ‘I’ve got to go. I’ll contact you later about getting the rest of my stuff sent once I know where the hell I’m going.’

Julia planted another kiss on Nigel’s lips and then she was on her way out of the bedroom heading for the stairs, ready to answer the door. Nigel jumped from the bed and pulling on his trousers he followed her. She opened the door. Lucius was standing there looking regal, his eyes cold.

‘Are you ready?’ he asked her coolly, surveying the scene before him. His lip curled in a small sneer as he took in Nigel’s state of undress when the man appeared at the door behind Julia.

‘Yes, I suppose so,’ Julia replied, looking as unhappy as she sounded.

It was clear she had been crying, although she had managed to stop the tears before Lucius saw her. That was a weakness she definitely didn’t want to allow him to see. She turned to look tenderly at Nigel.

‘I’ll talk to you as soon as possible,’ she whispered and leaning forward a little she kissed him, her hand brushing his cheek gently.

Very aware of the scornful look Lucius was bestowing upon her, Julia pulled away from her now ex-boyfriend, waving sadly at him as she left the house.

‘You’d better look after her,’ Nigel told Lucius, the threat in his voice obvious.

‘Or you’ll do what?’ Lucius asked dismissively. ‘If you’ve got any sense I suggest you forget the Mudblood ever existed. She’s my wife now, and I will not tolerate her dallying with you.’

He turned without a further word and followed Julia down the drive to the waiting car.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Julia had been amazed at the size of Malfoy Manor, unable to be anything but impressed with the beautiful house she was moving into. Lucius had ignored her completely for the entire journey, which could have been undertaken in minutes via the Floo or by Apparition but had instead taken several hours by car — done purely, she was convinced, to annoy her. He sat back, resting quietly with his eyes closed as the car took them out of London and, too slowly for her liking, towards her new home. She had absolutely no idea where that home was, only that it was out in the country somewhere — miles away from any of her friends and relatives. They finally completed the long journey up the drive and exited the car to climb the wide grey concrete staircase that led to a huge oak door. When it opened they entered the massive entrance hall that was the main hub of the house, with doors and corridors leading off it in many different directions. Julia looked around her in amazement. She hadn’t been in a room this large since leaving school.

‘I see you were at Hogwarts,’ Lucius noted as her trunk was brought into the house by house-elves who she noticed seemed to be quite well treated if their clothes, if they could be called that, were anything to go by.

‘Yes, I was in Gryffindor.’

Lucius snorted. ‘Figures,’ he said sarcastically.

‘I suppose you were in Slytherin,’ Julia said, just about managing to keep the disgust out of her voice.

Lucius looked proud. ‘Of course, I am Pure-blood, after all. Why would I have wanted to be in any other House?’

‘Figures,’ Julia replied, mocking his earlier comment.

Lucius glared at her for a moment then ushered her into a drawing room, which was also very large. She took a seat on one of the expensive and not particularly comfortable antique sofas.

‘I have made an area of the house available for you to live in,’ Lucius started pompously. He went to stand in front of the large fireplace, his hands clasped behind his back as he talked. ‘I’m sure you will find that you have more than enough space to live perfectly comfortably. However, if you require more please let me know and I will see what I can arrange.’

Julia looked surprised. ‘We’re not sleeping together, then?’

Lucius looked at her with something that could have been amusement mixed with disgust. ‘No, madam, we most certainly are not. I have my own rooms and you will have yours.’

For some reason, this statement rather pleased Julia and she began to relax a little. Clearly, Lucius really didn’t want to be married to her and was going to have as little to do with her as possible. Maybe the marriage would be just about bearable if they lived completely separate lives for the next two years. And if that was the case then maybe she could even continue her relationship with Nigel. In secret, of course, after all, she was a married woman and wouldn’t want to cause a scandal or make her husband seem like a cuckold. But in this huge place they could quite easily avoid each other forever, if need be.

She nodded, indicating her understanding of what Lucius was implying. ‘So if you’ve no interest in me being your wife . . . sexually, then surely there’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to continue my relationship with Nigel, is there? You don’t need to worry I can keep it a secret. Then you can have . . . whatever relationships you’ve been having, too.’

Lucius gazed at her as he smirked. ‘Oh, I fully intended to continue _exactly_ as before. Our marriage will change nothing there.’

Julia’s heart lifted a little at his words. Perhaps Lucius wasn’t such an arsehole after all. ‘So you agree, then?’

‘No. I do not agree.’ Lucius told her commandingly. ‘You will not be seeing that man again, so I suggest you forget you ever knew him.’ Julia felt a stab of pain in her heart at Lucius’ callous words. ‘You are my wife now, whether we like it or not, and I will not allow you to bring the name of Malfoy into disrepute with a sordid affair.’

‘Oh, I see. So I’m to be chained up here like a slave but it’s all right for you to fuck around with anyone you want, then, is it?’ Julia asked angrily, points of red rising in her cheeks. ‘How does that affect your precious Malfoy reputation?’

Lucius left his spot by the fireplace and came to stand over her, bending so his face was only an inch from hers.

‘You have much to learn, Mudblood,’ he hissed. His eyes glared furiously into hers. ‘You are my wife only because there was absolutely no other choice. There is no way I would lower myself to live in the filthy Muggle world just because your blood status makes you an unsuitable partner for me — but now you are my wife you will behave accordingly. You will not embarrass the name of Malfoy with any of your actions and you will certainly not be allowed to conduct an affair . . . especially with that prat.’

‘But you don’t want me,’ Julia pointed out sadly, ‘and this place is miles away from anywhere, so why not let me be happy with Nigel? I swear no one will find out. I can be discreet, you know. And don’t call me Mudblood. It’s a vile name.’

Lucius shook his head firmly, his face stony. ‘No. You will have no further communication with that man. He’s part of your history now and I do not expect you ever to refer to him again. Oh, and for your information, _Mudblood_ , I can call you whatever I like.’

Julia was determined not to cry as she was sure that was what Lucius wanted from her, but she also wanted to be away from her callous and cold-hearted bastard of a husband to grieve for her lost love.  She looked imperiously at Lucius.

‘If you can’t be civil towards me, Lucius, then don’t expect me to talk to you,’ she told him icily. ‘And if you’ve finished lecturing me I’d like to go to my rooms, please.’ She left the ‘and away from you’ part of the speech left unsaid but she knew Lucius had picked up on the thought.

He nodded curtly. ‘You will be housed in the East Wing. You won’t be disturbed there unless my son comes to visit. He too has a room in that area. However, you will be given ample warning of his arrival.’

Julia had completely forgotten that Lucius had a son from his previous marriage. She looked at him, more interested now than she had been since they had been paired.

‘How old is your son?’ she asked.

‘Draco is twenty-one. He lives and works in London but he does occasionally visit.’

‘Did you not want any other children?’ Julia asked curiously.

Lucius shrugged and replied, ‘Narcissa didn’t have a very good pregnancy. It put her off having any more children. Come, I’ll show you to your rooms.’

Julia followed Lucius out of the drawing room and up a large staircase, bearing to the right at the top. The house was huge and magnificently decorated and Julia was looking forward to exploring it in greater detail once she got settled in.

‘I have an engagement tonight,’ Lucius said offhandedly as they walked down a long wood-panelled corridor. ‘I will arrange for the house-elves to serve your meal in your suite.’

‘Where are you going?’ Julia asked interestedly.

‘A private matter,’ Lucius spat coldly. ‘It’s none of your business.’

‘Fine,’ Julia replied tetchily. ‘Well, I hope you have a good evening.’

‘Oh, I certainly intend to,’ Lucius replied with a lewd smirk. He indicated to the left with his hand. ‘Here.’

They had reached a door which was wood-panelled like the corridor but the panels contained carvings which at a quick glance looked to Julia like hunting scenes.

‘I hope the rooms will be to your liking,’ Lucius said stiffly. ‘If not I suppose we can get them re-decorated.’

He opened the door, revealing a large drawing room. Once again the furniture was very old and a fire was set in the large fireplace but was not lit. Julia walked in and looked around the room, taking in the expensive furnishings and the eau de nil colours, soothing yet bland at the same time. She wondered whether the room had belonged to her predecessor, Narcissa. Certainly, the colours made her think of the tall, elegant, pale-skinned woman whose picture she vaguely remembered from the newspapers.

Lucius was watching her reaction carefully. ‘No doubt you would prefer red and gold,’ he said sarcastically.

‘Maybe,’ Julia admitted, ‘at least something a little brighter. The room is nice, it’s very light and airy, but the colour’s a bit wishy-washy. I prefer something a little bolder.’

She walked through the open doorway and into the bedroom. This too was decorated in soothing tones that complimented the lounge. Julia looked around. There was a large, comfortable-looking bed and a dressing table with a large mirror. Cupboards ran along one wall and there was a bureau under the large leaded window. Julia walked across the room to look through it. She overlooked the garden, with a nice view of the steps leading down to the sweeping lawn with its immaculate flower borders.

She turned around looking at the room again. It was boring . . . beautiful, but boring.

‘You don’t like this either?’ Lucius asked, seeing her expression.

‘No, I do. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with any of it,’ Julia said hurriedly. ‘It’s just a bit . . . bland.’

‘I think you mean classically understated,’ Lucius replied stuffily.

‘Yeah, probably,’ Julia said trying not to sigh. ‘Sorry, I just prefer something a little more . . . sensual.’

Lucius raised his eyebrows. ‘You want sensual?’

Julia shrugged. ‘Well, I do have to live here. And surely that’s the point of a bedroom, isn’t it — somewhere seductive that you want to spend time.’

‘Are you intending to spend all your time in bed?’ Lucius asked.

‘No, of course I’m not. But when I’m here I’d rather be somewhere I feel comfortable.’

Lucius looked around, then sighed. ‘I shall send Moki to see you. Tell him your requirements and the house-elves will arrange the redecoration for you.’

‘Thank you, Lucius,’ Julia said and smiled at him, the first time she had done so.

She walked through to the bathroom. It was very large and surprisingly modern, full of gleaming stainless steel and bright white tiles. A large bath took up a good portion of the room and a shower, toilet, and sink completed the furniture. Now, this she did like.

‘Does it meet with your approval?’ Lucius asked softly in her ear. He was standing at her shoulder. Julia jumped, surprised at his closeness.

‘Yes, it’s lovely,’ she admitted. ‘That bath is amazing. I wonder how many people would fit in it.’

Lucius’ eyebrows rose again and he smirked. ‘I see I may have misjudged you, Julia,’ he said salaciously. ‘Sensual bedrooms and sharing baths . . . .’

Julia flushed. ‘That wasn’t what I meant. I’m not interested in sharing the bath. I just wondered how many people would fit in it. It’s massive.’

Lucius’ smirk faded slightly. ‘Pity,’ he said, sounding a little disappointed. ‘I thought things had just got more interesting. I believe you could comfortably get four or six people in there, perhaps as many as eight or ten if you wanted things to get a little more . . . intimate.’ The lush drawl of his voice sent shivers up Julia’s spine. ‘I’ll leave you to get settled in,’ he finished, suddenly abrupt once more, and turning, he walked out of the room, leaving Julia alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Julia spent the next week or so settling into her new home. Lucius spent all his time elsewhere. She had no idea what he was doing as she never saw him to ask, although she could hazard a guess at what his evenings contained. However, she wasn’t really bothered by his absence as she was busy with the redecoration of her rooms and exploring the house and grounds and she didn’t need his patronising manner to ruin it for her.

She had woken that morning with a headache and shaking limbs and wondered if she was coming down with some sort of virus although she had no idea where she would have caught it. She hadn’t left the manor since she had moved in. Feeling quite poorly, she refused breakfast except for a pot of tea in her room and spent most of the day slumbering in her newly decorated boudoir. A late afternoon walk had been planned but was cancelled as she was still feeling lousy, and she requested soup for dinner, a throwback to her childhood days when her mother had cured all illness with a large bowl of homemade chicken soup.

A knock on the door roused Julia from sleep once more. She forced herself off the bed and with some difficulty pulled open the door, moving back as Lucius entered the room. He looked as pale as a ghost and his face was covered with a sheen of sweat, as if he too was fighting off an infection. He looked around the room, taking in the dark, luxurious colours and the sensual velvet and satin fabrics that now made up her bedroom.

‘It looks good,’ he acknowledged, his eyes on the bed that Julia had just vacated. ‘How are you feeling?’

‘Rotten,’ Julia admitted. She went to sit back on the bed, not seeming to have the energy to stand. ‘I think I’ve got the flu or something.’

‘It’s not the flu,’ Lucius said matter-of-factly. ‘It’s the bloody charm. Remember, we were supposed to consummate the marriage within seven days.’

Julia gave a small gasp as she remembered. The official had warned them that they would get weaker until they did it.

‘You really think it’s that?’ she asked.

Lucius nodded. ‘I feel awful, too, fluey and unable to concentrate, and there’s no good reason for me to be ill. And it has been thirteen days since we were bonded.’ He walked towards her, undoing his trousers. ‘We need to get this thing done, then we’ll be all right.’

Julia looked at him in distress. She definitely wasn’t feeling in the mood for sex she just wanted to curl up under the covers and go back to sleep. Lucius’ cold manner wasn’t helping any, either. She shook her head. ‘I’m not just going to do it . . . not just like that. Anyway, I don’t think I’m well enough.’

Lucius regarded her carefully. ‘Julia, we have to do it.’

‘But not so . . . so coldly. I’m just not ready.’

Lucius was now standing in front of her with his erection in his hand.

‘I can’t just—’

‘Then I suggest you prepare yourself,’ Lucius replied, cutting off her protestations.

‘What? But surely you don’t mean—’

Lucius shrugged. ‘Well, I’m ready to fuck. You say you aren’t, so I suggest you get yourself ready.’

‘But surely you should be—’

Lucius laughed coldly, cutting her off again. ‘Can I remind you that we’re doing this because we have no choice in the matter? Personally, I don’t care whether you’re ready or not, it makes no difference to me. I just want to get it done so I stop feeling ill. However, as you feel the need to prepare, I suggest you get on with it.’

He settled on the edge of the bed, looking at her intently.

‘You’re going to watch me,’ Julia said in horror.

Lucius smiled. ‘Of course I am. Why shouldn’t I? You are my wife, after all.’

Julia flushed with embarrassment.

‘Why so embarrassed? Don’t tell me you’ve never masturbated.’ His tone was mocking and unpleasant.

‘Not in front of someone else,’ Julia replied heatedly. ‘I mean, you’ve never even seen me naked before.’

‘Good point,’ Lucius said with a smirk, and removing his wand from his pocket he waved it and muttered something under his breath.

Julia’s nightgown was gone. She looked at Lucius in shock as he surveyed her naked body, taking in the large, fleshy breasts and the swell of her stomach. She cringed under the scrutiny of his cold eyes that looked too deeply and she blushed again.

‘Off you go,’ he said more pleasantly. ‘Or would you feel more comfortable if I was naked, too?’ He waved his wand a second time and he, too, was undressed. His hand reached once more for his erection, tugging on it as he gazed at his wife. ‘For Merlin’s sake get on with it,’ he told her irritably when Julia still just sat there. ‘We don’t have all night.’

‘Don’t we?’ Julia asked. ‘Why’s that, then?’

‘I’m going out,’ Lucius replied dismissively, ‘and I don’t want to feel like this. Now either get playing or I shall take you as you are.’ His hand pressed briefly between her legs. She was right — she really wasn’t ready.

Aware that she had very little choice as Lucius would probably do exactly as he had said, Julia slid back onto the bed, feeling incredibly self-conscious as his hand pressed at her most intimate area and discovering, she was sure, that she really wasn’t ready for anything sexual to occur. She wasn’t feeling at all well and she certainly wasn’t very happy about the way this was going.

Although she was only too well aware that Lucius didn’t care for or about her in any way, she had stupidly assumed that he would at least make the effort to be nice to her when they consummated their marriage. She had only ever been with Nigel and wasn’t very confident sexually and she had hoped that being with Lucius, who was so much more experienced would help her to overcome that, even if it was only very occasionally.

Instead, he was making her feel cheap and worthless and that served to lessen her arousal and drive down her confidence even more. But of course, that was how he saw her: his stupid, worthless Mudblood wife. She couldn’t imagine playing with herself in front of him. That was something she had only ever done alone in the dark, hidden beneath the sheets like a dirty little secret. It certainly wasn’t a show to be watched.

‘Are you going to get on with it?’ Lucius asked, his voice a bored drawl now.

‘I’m embarrassed,’ Julia admitted. ‘I don’t want you watching me.’

Lucius gave a surprisingly deep and rich laugh. ‘That’s bad luck for you, then. I love watching a woman masturbate.’ Julia looked surprised. ‘It’s amazing what you learn from watching a woman pleasure herself,’ Lucius told her, his voice lower and more seductive now. ‘You find out exactly how to make her come, how to touch her best to give her pleasure. It’s probably the most erotic thing you could ever do with her.’

Julia’s fingers had slid between her legs and slowly rubbed as she listened to him talk, his lush voice washing over her as she lay back, closing her eyes.

‘Oh, that’s it, Julia,’ Lucius crooned as he watched her. She had opened her legs wider now, her fingers were sliding into her slit and she could feel the moisture appearing as her other hand found her hardened clitoris, rubbing at it gently. She knew she was aroused enough for him now and was going to stop but Lucius’ voice was talking gently in her ear, urging her onwards.

‘Bring yourself to climax for me, Julia,’ he whispered seductively, and stifling a moan at the sound of his voice, she followed his order.

Minutes later she cried out as her body shook, her muscles contracting around her fingers. Her eyes opened to see Lucius above her, watching eagerly, a look of desire in his eyes, his fingers lightly stroking over her breasts as he watched her come.

‘Beautiful,’ he whispered, and Julia blushed again, feeling a surprisingly warm flash of desire for her handsome husband shoot through her.

He moved as she removed her fingers from her wet core, expecting him to enter her, but instead, he took her hand, his mouth sliding over the wet fingers, sucking seductively on them. Julia gave a small moan.

‘Mmmm,’ Lucius commented lasciviously as he removed the fingers from his mouth. He smiled at Julia, then holding her hips fast he moved between her legs, sliding his throbbing hardness into her now ready body.

Julia cried out as he pushed inside her while Lucius gave a hiss of pleasure. Soon he was thrusting deeply, his hard length making her cry out with each stroke. His lips found hers in a deep and sensual kiss, mouths still joined as he rolled her over so she was on top and whispered to her to ride him hard.

His hands ran through her hair and then again as he pushed her back down beneath him, holding her down, trapped, as he plunged as hard and deep as he could. They climaxed almost together in a tangle of arms and legs as they clutched at one another, each wanting more of their lover, cries of passion erupting from them both as they spurred each other on. Finally finished, Lucius collapsed next to Julia, his arm loosely around her waist as his legs remained entwined with hers.

Julia lay there with a smile on her face, breathing heavily, trying to stop her heart that seemed to be hammering twice as fast as normal. That had been nothing like the intimacy she had shared with Nigel for all these years. It had a vibrancy and possessiveness that she had never experienced before and it made her tingle with excitement. Perhaps the Ministry of Magic had been right in their choice after all. She looked at her husband who was lying quietly, still apparently watching her carefully. She smiled and ran her hand through his long and now messy hair. He looked more gorgeous now than she had ever seen him look.  She leant forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered. ‘Do you have to go out?’ The unspoken offer was implicit in her tone.

Julia moved nearer to him, snuggling close, but she felt Lucius stiffen, obviously suddenly uncomfortable with the familiarity between them. His arm slid from her waist and he got up from the bed.

‘Yes, I do.’ He sounded a little discomfited. Julia looked up at him with confusion.

‘The contract has been satisfied and the illness should now cease,’ he said coldly as he dressed, no longer looking at her. ‘Obviously, we are still to fulfil the other part of the bond so it will be clear that we have tried for a baby but that can be discussed at a later date.’

Still refusing to look at her, Lucius left the room, closing the door behind him. Julia looked at the door in surprise for a moment, then, not entirely sure why, she burst into tears.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

And so it went on. Days went by without Julia seeing Lucius at all and he didn’t visit her at night, either, seemingly preferring to keep his own company on the odd occasions when he stayed at home. When it became clear that he intended to ignore her unless he had absolutely no choice, and she could bear the solitude no longer, she made a decision. She was going to go back to work. 

Julia worked at St Mungo’s Hospital as the administrative assistant to the Healers in the Magical Maladies ward. She was the one who kept their paperwork straight and filled in their reports while the busy Healers worked on their patients. She had been granted two weeks’ extra leave on top of the two weeks she had booked for her adjustment period, or honeymoon, as one of her friends had jokingly called it, but now she was due back at work.

She hadn’t broached the subject of work with Lucius on any of the few occasions when she had actually been in the same room as him. It seemed that apart from telling her she was no longer to contact Nigel — Lucius had been surprisingly angry when he discovered she had written to her ex-boyfriend to ask him to send on the rest of her belongings — he had absolutely no interest in either her or her life at all, and Julia was finding this somewhat hard to adapt to.

With Nigel, she had been in a relationship that, whilst she now had to admit had been a little stifling at times, had at least been loving and open. The two of them had spent almost all their free time together and had talked constantly. She and Lucius conversed so rarely Julia would have wondered if the whole thing wasn’t a dream if it wasn’t for the fact that she was cooped up in Malfoy Manor.

Julia had to admit that she was bored, pure and simple. And if Lucius wasn’t going to make her part of his life, as he so clearly showed he had no intention of doing, then she would go back to what she knew and make her own life once more.

On Monday morning she went down to the dining room, dressed and ready to leave for work as soon as she had eaten. Lucius was, as was always the case on the odd occasion he joined her for breakfast, sitting at the head of the table completely ignoring her as he read his newspaper, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence in the room. Julia sat down without saying anything to him and buttered some toast and poured a cup of tea, glancing at the back page of the journal as she did so. The Chudley Cannons had lost their latest match — nothing new there — and Ronald Weasley, the heroic friend of Harry Potter, had been confirmed as the new Keeper for Puddlemere United.

As she ate her breakfast, Julia debated whether to tell Lucius what she was doing but decided against it. He didn’t like to talk to her in the morning — hell, he didn’t like to talk to her at all if he could help it — and he probably wouldn’t be interested anyway. She could talk to him about it when she returned home if he was around and wanted to know what she had been doing. Finished with her breakfast, she folded her napkin and placed it on the empty plate then stood up, ready to head for the door. Lucius carefully folded his newspaper and placed it on the table beside him.

‘You’re all dressed up. Where are you going?’ he asked his voice surprisingly pleasant.

‘I’m going to work,’ Julia replied. ‘I’ll be back about six o’clock this evening.’

Lucius was out of his seat in a second, grabbing her wrists tightly and painfully, a look of barely controlled fury on his face.

‘Work! I don’t think so. You have no need to work, Julia. You’re a Malfoy now.’

Julia sighed as she pulled away from him, a little surprised that he let her go so easily. ‘It’s all very well me being a Malfoy, Lucius, but I’m bored stiff with sitting around this place with nothing to do all the time. Anyway, they’re expecting me back at work today, so I have to go in.’

Lucius shook his head firmly. ‘No. No wife of mine is going to work. I’m sure you must have something else you can do to keep yourself occupied. Don’t you have any hobbies?’

Julia shook her head in response. ‘No, I don’t, and I’m fed up with reading, it’s all I ever seem to do around here. There’s nothing else to do. Your home is already perfect; it doesn’t need any decorating or any work doing to it.’

Lucius snorted with laughter. ‘That never stopped Narcissa.’

‘Maybe not, but I don’t see the point in changing something just for the sake of it. The house is perfect as it is. And I have nothing else to do. The house-elves do all the chores and I have no children to keep me occupied. I’m bored, Lucius, and I need to work.’

‘Go shopping,’ he advised.

‘I don’t want to go shopping,’ Julia said tetchily. ‘There’s nothing I need.’

Lucius looked at her in surprise. ‘Who said anything about need? I’m sure you could just go shopping for the pleasure of it. Narcissa was always shopping. As my wife, you can buy anything you desire, not just things you need.’

‘There’s nothing I want, either,’ Julia replied with a sigh. ‘Except to go back to work,’ she added, sounding a little petulant.

‘Well, that’s out of the question,’ Lucius told her bullishly. ‘You are my wife now and I have no intention of letting you work.’

‘But—’

‘No, and that’s my final answer,’ Lucius said, raising his hand to stop her protestations. ‘Anyway, you can’t go in today.’

‘Why not?’ Julia was intrigued. What could she possibly be doing that would stop her from going into work? She never did anything, as she had just complained to Lucius.

‘Because I’ve decided we’ll try for a baby today,’ Lucius replied as if it was obvious. ‘I have some free time before a meeting I have to attend at the Ministry of Magic this afternoon, so it’s as good a time as any.’

‘Wow, how romantic,’ Julia spat out sarcastically. ‘You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet, don’t you, Lucius?’

‘Can I remind you that we are doing this purely so we can convince the Ministry that we have indeed tried to have children?’ Lucius pointed out acidly. ‘I see no reason to make it into something it so clearly isn’t, do you?’

Julia sighed. ‘No, I suppose you’re right, but you know it does help if I’m aroused. I want a bit more from you than just your cock this time.’

‘Do you?’ Lucius asked in surprise, then he smirked nastily. ‘But you did such a good job on your own last time.’ Julia glared at him, although it didn’t stop the smirk. ‘Well, I’m sure I can manage something,’ he replied condescendingly, looking her up and down as if examining her. ‘After all, you are gagging for me to fuck you again.’ The smirk widened as he dared her to contradict him.

‘No I’m not,’ Julia retorted angrily, but a little voice inside her mind was calling her a liar. However it may have started between them, sex with Lucius was far more exciting and arousing than it had been with Nigel and she couldn’t help wanting more.

‘All right, whatever you say.’ Lucius relented, although he still sounded smug. ‘So, shall we go to your room?’

‘I need to tell work that I won’t be in today, then,’ Julia told him unhappily.

‘Oh, I think they’ll realise that when you don’t arrive, won’t they?’ Lucius replied. ‘Anyway, I’ll contact them later and tell them you’ve left. I’m sure they’ll understand that you’ve chosen to concentrate on being a wife and mother.’

Lucius held out his hand as he looked pointedly at Julia. Although she was clearly not happy about it, she took it and followed as he led her from the dining room and towards the stairs. She knew she had no choice, but she couldn’t help feeling resentment towards Lucius for choosing now of all times to become interested in trying for a baby.

She had really been looking forward to going back to the bustle of the hospital, happily anticipating the interaction with people other than her uninterested husband and the house-elves, who had always given her the creeps however nice they were, and now he had ruined her chance at the first happiness she had felt in a month.

Of course, she knew he had done it on purpose. She would have bet money that he’d had no intention of suggesting this morning’s activity until he had seen her dressed and ready for work. It was just like him to want to ruin her life as he had been doing effortlessly since the day he had married her. She just hoped he was going to be a little more interactive during the foreplay this time. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Please let me go back to work, Lucius,’ Julia begged. She was laying in his arms after they had made love for the second time since he had taken her to bed.

‘But I don’t want you working.’ Lucius’ voice was firm.

‘I know you don’t, and I understand why, but I really am bored here. If I just had something to do . . . .’ Her voice trailed off, knowing she was fighting a losing battle.

‘So what is your job?’ Lucius asked finally a few minutes later, having felt the fight go out of her.

Julia hurriedly explained, taking the chance he offered to make Lucius see how much she enjoyed what she did. Amazingly, he actually listened to her although his hands were still caressing her body the entire time, fingers dipping to find for the third time that morning the wet core between her legs.

Julia gave a small moan of pleasure.

‘You don’t need to work,’ Lucius replied alluringly, his lips connecting with her throat in gentle butterfly kisses between words. ‘I’m sure we can find more interesting things to do.’

‘But you’re so rarely here,’ Julia pointed out. ‘This is the first time I’ve seen you in almost a week, even at breakfast. And when you are at home you always completely ignore me.’

‘Yes, well, I think that might change a bit now,’ Lucius replied as his tongue curled around a nipple before his mouth fastened upon it. He moaned loudly as Julia grasped his erect cock, whispering to her as she guided him inside her once again, his desire indicated by the noises he was making.

Julia gave herself to her husband completely once again, enjoying the feelings Lucius aroused in her. She had to admit that she really did enjoy having sex with him, especially as he had become far more proactive in ensuring her pleasure as well as his own. If he would actually spend more time with her, maybe she could survive being stuck at Malfoy Manor with no one else to talk to. But she wasn’t stupid. She knew promises made now meant nothing. She had a feeling Lucius would agree to just about anything as long as she let him inside her, and when his mood changed again he wouldn’t even show the tenderness he had shown this morning.

But then nothing mattered any longer as she was carried away on a wave of ecstasy, oblivious to everything except the feelings inside her and the wonderful man, his body pressed against hers, who had made her feel that way. She screamed out his name as wave after wave of delight washed over her and then the two of them collapsed, spent, in each other’s arms.

‘Will they let you work at home?’ Lucius asked her once they had both calmed down a little. They lay, still holding each other, noses rubbing as they gazed at each other smilingly.

Julia looked at him in surprise. ‘I don’t know.’

‘Well, we’ll need to find out,’ Lucius replied. “We can set you up an office and you can work from here at the Manor. We can put in a Floo connection to the hospital so they can come to see you if need be,’ he added. ‘And I suppose for the odd meeting you’d need to attend, too,’ he finished grudgingly.

Julia grabbed him and kissed him hard. Her heart was hammering. Lucius was really going to allow her to do this. Every bad thought she’d had about him was suddenly blown away. Things were finally going to get better. 

‘Thank you, Lucius,’ she said happily.

‘I don’t want you going there too often, though,’ Lucius grumbled. ‘I don’t want everyone knowing that you’re working.’

Julia kissed him again. ‘Don’t worry,’ she replied. ‘I can be discreet, you know.’

Lucius stared at her, his eyes hardening and he gripped the tops of her arms tightly, squeezing them painfully. ‘Where does _he_ work?’

‘He?’ Julia was confused for a moment. She had no idea who Lucius was talking about.

‘You know, your ex. Does he work there?’ Lucius’ voice was cold and demanding.

Julia shook her head. ‘No, he works for a Ministry laboratory, nowhere near St Mungo’s.’

Lucius relaxed and softened his grip on her a little.

‘Good. I still don’t want you seeing him. You’re my wife now and you won’t have anything further to do with that man.’ He kissed her again, his hands moving once more, then added, ‘I shall visit the Director of the hospital this afternoon after my meeting. He’s an old friend of mine so I shouldn’t have too many problems getting him to agree to my terms. Now, I think we have time for just one more go at making a baby before I have to leave.’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Amazingly, Lucius was as good as his word and did indeed arrange with the hospital that Julia could work from home, and within a few days everything had been set up. She had an office next to his and after breakfast each morning the two of them would walk companionably to their offices, parting with an agreement to share lunch.

On cold days they would eat sandwiches and drink tea in one of the offices, usually taking it in turns to be the host; their breaks were filled with conversation, mainly about their work. Julia was astonished to discover that Lucius was beginning to take an active interest in what she was doing, and after his discussion with the Director of the hospital he had become far less dismissive of her contribution.

As the days slowly turned a little warmer and the weather improved they left the house for lunch, now having picnics; Lucius carried a wicker basket filled with their favourite foods down to the newly blooming rose garden, where they would sit on a blanket and talk. Lucius was still spending evenings away from the house as before, but Julia had noticed that the amount of time he was away seemed to be much less than was previously the case, and he now spent several evenings a week at home.

But although they had their new-found friendship, it appeared their sex life had taken a step backwards as Lucius had made no more than one or two attempts to make love to her since the day he had agreed to her working. Julia didn’t push the issue as she knew that Lucius had already accommodated her far more than she had ever expected, especially knowing his dislike of her blood status. But as the days stretched to weeks and then to months she began to wonder if she had done something and he was purposely avoiding her.

‘Is there anything wrong?’ she asked him one afternoon while they were relaxing in the garden. She watched him as he took a sip of his wine.

‘No . . . why?’ Lucius looked confused.

Julia shrugged. ‘Oh, well, no reason. It’s just . . . . ’ She trailed off. Lucius was looking at her intently now and that always made her feel uncomfortable.

‘Just what?’ he probed.

‘Well, you know. We haven’t . . . made love for ages.’ Julia blushed.

Lucius took another sip of his drink. He nodded his head slowly as if thinking about something, then rubbed his nose. ‘No, we haven’t. Well, yes, I suppose we should do it again, really. It can hardly be classified as trying if we do it less than once a month.’

Julia reached out to stroke his hand. ‘I don’t mind how often you want to do it,’ she admitted, blushing shyly.

Lucius laughed, putting his glass down and pushing her down on the rug beneath him. ‘I knew you were gagging for it,’ he said mischievously, ‘that you love me touching you.’

‘I do,’ Julia admitted. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss.

Lucius’ hands worked on the buttons of her blouse as they kissed, soon revealing her bra. His mouth moved to lick at her nipples through the lacy material as his hands undid and pulled down her skirt revealing the not quite matching knickers. He looked at her for a moment lying beneath him with her auburn hair fanning out around her, her hazel eyes wide with arousal. He ran his fingers down her stomach, making her giggle.

‘You really need to go shopping,’ he said a touch sourly.

‘Why?’ Julia looked confused at the strange mood-breaking comment.

‘What is that underwear you’re wearing?’ Lucius asked, wrinkling his nose. ‘It’s absolutely awful.’

‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Julia replied defensively.

‘Well, it’s not exactly sexy, is it?’ he retorted.

Julia glanced down at the admittedly aging underwear she was now flashing to the world. It was true that it was plain and functional, white cotton knickers and a cheap lacy nylon bra that didn’t exactly scream sex goddess, but then when she had got dressed that morning she hadn’t expected to be having sex that day — and what did it matter, anyway? She was sure Lucius didn’t intend to keep it on.

‘Sorry, I wasn’t thinking about being alluring when I got dressed this morning,’ Julia said spikily.

‘Clearly.’ Lucius’ tone was condescending. ‘Perhaps you should consider it more.’

‘Why?’ Julia sat up, angry now. ‘Why should I consider it when you don’t want to make love to me anyway, Lucius? What’s the point of me getting dressed up in sexy underwear just to be ignored?’

‘Perhaps you wouldn’t be ignored if you were better dressed,’ Lucius replied acidly. He stood up.

Julia gave a sharp bark of a laugh. ‘Oh, right. You don’t fuck me because I’ve got the wrong underwear. That’s complete bollocks, Lucius, and you know it.’

Lucius looked at her, his eyes and voice cold. ‘No, I fuck you because I have to, Julia, in order to fulfil the contract. Sexy underwear would just make it a little more bearable for me.’

He stood over her sneering. She was already re-buttoning her blouse and trying to stop the tears that had formed in her eyes at his words.

‘So you’ve never enjoyed what we’ve done?’ Julia asked. She tried not to sound hurt.

‘Not in the way you have,’ Lucius stated confidently. ‘As I said, it’s a necessity, nothing more.’

He walked away leaving Julia on the blanket still trying to dress herself, her shaking hands causing her to have to re-button the blouse, and trying desperately, but failing miserably, not to cry.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lucius disappeared completely for the next three days. He didn’t appear at breakfast and his office was cold and silent. Julia had spent the days working hard trying to forget about him as she was still angry with the way he had treated her in the rose garden. She spent her evenings tucked away in her bedroom, wrapped up in bed with hot chocolate spiked with brandy, reading a book and trying not to worry about the fact that he had left.

With the exception of their first few weeks of marriage Lucius had never been away from Malfoy Manor for so long. It was obviously to do with the argument they’d had that day, and that worried Julia. She had grown used to being married to Lucius now, and although the lovemaking was sporadic she had expected that eventually, they would find their way. It was clear to her that when they did get intimate it wasn’t just going through the motions in order to have a baby, whatever Lucius may have told her. If that was the case they wouldn’t have spent all afternoon in bed and done it three times the last time they had been together.

But while she was ready to accept that she did fancy her husband and wanted to try to make a go of things properly with him, Lucius appeared to be intent on trying to convince himself that he had no feelings for her and everything was still just to fulfil the contract. His petty criticism of her underwear was just another way of reinforcing that image. It was pathetic, but in a way she could understand it.

He was Pure-blood, after all, and overcoming his natural hatred of Muggle-borns after so many years must be extremely hard, especially admitting that you actually cared for one. But now that she had allowed herself to care about Lucius he had the power to hurt her even more than when they had first been placed together. And that was what he had done when he had left her in the rose garden, sobbing and distraught.

She had to face the fact that Lucius didn’t want to love her, didn’t want to remain in the relationship once the two years were up, she had to harden herself to the fact and act accordingly. She had to forget all the dreams she’d had over the previous few weeks since their relationship seemed to have improved. She had to go back to her original idea of just making it to the second anniversary and then it would all be over and she could leave Malfoy Manor and Lucius behind. Then she would have to find a new life to live.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia glanced at the bureau on her way back from the bathroom. There was a large white box tied with a black velvet ribbon sitting on it. She frowned. Where had that come from? One of the house-elves must have left it for her whilst she was in the bath. She picked up the box and carried it to the bed, sitting down as she untied the ribbon. Inside was a flurry of pure white tissue paper and nestled within were several sets of the most beautiful quality lingerie she had ever seen, all in dark purple silk with black lace trim. There was also a beautiful silk and lace chemise and a matching robe in a wonderful shimmering copper colour. She laid the items on the bed and looked at the envelope she found at the bottom of the box. Taking a deep breath she opened the flap and pulled out the card.

_Julia,_

_I apologise for my harsh words to you the last time we were together. These few items are sent as an apology, although I will admit the idea of you wearing them makes me hard. Expect a visit from me soon, as we are now well overdue._

_Fondest regards,_

_Lucius_

Julia shook her head as she laughed at the letter. Lucius thought buying her new underwear was a good way of apologising for his criticism of her old. Well, that spoke volumes about the man. But she did have to admit it was beautiful underwear, and much better quality than anything she had ever owned before. And he had told her that thinking of her in it made him hard, which was something of a confession for him, so perhaps it wasn’t all bad.

She quickly slipped off her nightdress, which now she looked at it, she realised was just as awful as her old underwear, and put on the chemise and robe, unable to stop admiring herself in the mirror. The outfit was beautiful and felt so soft and sensual on her body, and the colour was just right. It went well with both her hair and her complexion and somehow made her look better than she did normally. Grudgingly, she accepted that perhaps Lucius did have a point about sexy underwear after all.

It was only about ten minutes later that there was a knock on the outer door. Julia made her way through the drawing room to answer it. Lucius stood there dressed in his dark Slytherin green robe, his long hair tousled as if from sleep.

‘Can I come in?’ he asked her, his voice sounding serious.

Julia nodded and moved back to open the door wider, admitting him into the room.

‘That looks absolutely stunning on you,’ Lucius told her sincerely, indicating the chemise and robe. ‘It goes amazingly with your hair. It’s the perfect colour.’ He smiled with pleasure.

‘It’s beautiful,’ Julia admitted. ‘It feels really lovely on.’

‘And the underwear?’ Lucius asked. He looked a little uncomfortable.

‘I haven’t tried it on yet, but I love the colour.’ Julia smiled back at him, enjoying his discomfort. ‘And I’m sure it’ll look very sexy on.’

‘You already look very sexy, Julia,’ Lucius said, coming closer. ‘Even better than I imagined you’d look,’ he whispered in her ear as he pulled her into his arms. His hand gently caressed her face as his lips found hers, tentatively at first but then with more passion as he realised she wasn’t going to reject him.

‘Does that mean you’re even harder?’ Julia asked quietly, her eyes glinting as she looked at him.

In response, he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her gently on the bed before moving the box containing the lingerie back to the bureau. A moment later he joined her on the bed, his lips finding hers once more as his hands caressed the soft silk that covered her already aroused body.

‘There was another reason I chose this outfit,’ Lucius whispered silkily, ‘apart from the fantastic colour.’

‘What was that?’ Julia asked, intrigued.

‘Those amazingly small knickers that came with it,’ he admitted laughingly. ‘I’ve never seen anything like them. And the idea of you in them and then me removing them . . . well, there was no way I wasn’t buying it.’

‘These knickers, you mean?’ Julia asked wickedly, briefly lifting the skirt to reveal the tiniest scrap of silk.

Lucius gave a deep growl of desire. ‘Once again, so much better than my imagination had conjured it . . . of course, now I need to remove them.’ Julia giggled as he moved. ‘Using my mouth, of course,’ Lucius whispered in her ear, making her shiver with anticipation.


	3. Chapter 3

‘You will be coming with me on Saturday night,’ Lucius told Julia as they sat having lunch at a table, provided by the ever obliging house-elves, in the formal knot garden.

‘Will I?’ Julia asked interestedly. A shiver of anticipation ran through her. This was the first time in the eleven months they had been married that she had been anywhere with her husband. In fact, it was the first time she had been outside Malfoy Manor to anywhere other than St Mungo’s or Diagon Alley. ‘Where are we going?’

‘A friend of mine is having a party and I’d like you to be there,’ Lucius replied, his tone telling her that he didn’t expect her to argue with him. ‘I assume you do have something suitable to wear?’

‘It depends on what the dress code is,’ Julia said. ‘As long as it’s not ball gowns I should be all right.’ She chuckled, although she noticed Lucius didn’t join in.

‘It will be evening dress so I suggest you go to Madam Malkin’s and get her to fit you with something suitable. Tell her it’s for the Nott Masque,’ Lucius replied, his voice still serious.

‘This party,’ Julia asked worriedly, ‘is it all Death Eaters . . . sorry, I mean Pure-bloods?’

Lucius looked at her sharply for a moment. ‘A majority of the guests will be Pure-blood,’ he said stiffly, ‘although, of course, there will be other guests in our situation and they will be bringing their partners along.’

Julia nodded but she didn’t seem happy.

‘What’s the matter?’ Lucius asked. ‘I thought you’d be pleased to go out, to finally meet my friends.’

‘I’m nervous,’ Julia admitted. ‘I hate meeting new people.’

Lucius laughed loudly. ‘Ah, my brave little Gryffindor,’ he said sarcastically. ‘How on earth did you ever get sorted into that House?’

‘Slytherin was full,’ Julia said jokingly, but she went silent as Lucius turned on her in anger.

‘Don’t you dare associate yourself with Slytherin,’ he hissed, his voice quiet but deadly. ‘You would never be good enough to be put into that prestigious House.’

‘Sorry,’ Julia said meekly trying not to smart from the criticism. ‘I was only joking.’

There was painful silence.

After a few more minutes had passed she asked, ‘Are you sure you want me to go to the party with you?’

Lucius looked at her for a couple of seconds as if debating. Finally, he nodded his head curtly. ‘Yes, Julia, you will attend. My son is going to be there and I want you to meet him.’

‘Oh good, no pressure, then,’ Julia replied. Now she was even more worried.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia was almost shaking as she put the finishing touches to her outfit. She was nervous about attending a party full of Muggle-hating Pure-bloods, most of whom had been Death Eaters she was sure, and even more nervous about meeting Lucius’ son Draco. But right now she was terrified that Lucius wouldn’t be happy with her outfit, knowing what a snob he was.

She desperately wanted to look nice so he could be proud of her — she felt ‘desired her’ would be out of the question this evening with all those other Pure-bloods around. But she was hoping that if she looked good it would follow that she would feel good, and that, at least, would help her to relax a little during what she was sure was going to be a long and difficult evening.

Lucius had told her to buy whatever she needed, regardless of cost, and she had done just that. At first, feeling guilty about the huge amount of money she had spent, she decided it was worth it when she saw herself in the mirror. The dress was a fitted purple, shimmer-silk halter-neck with a plunging neckline flaring out into a long handkerchief hem. This had been teamed with high-heeled diamante sandals and matching chandelier earrings. 

Her usually somewhat boring straight hair had been teased into a sleek French plait through which strands of diamante had been woven. Her makeup was sultry with dark smoky eyes and rosebud pink lips, with nails to match. She took a final appraising look in the mirror then picked up the small purple and diamante handbag, putting a quick charm on it to enable her to put her wand inside along with a number of other essentials. Picking up a silver shawl from the bed, she made her way down to the drawing room where she had arranged to meet her husband.

Lucius was immaculately dressed in black tie, his lustrous blond hair tied back in a queue with a black velvet ribbon. Her heart melted at the sight of him and arousal flared immediately. He looked absolutely gorgeous dressed like that.

‘Look at you,’ he said quietly as Julia entered the room.     

‘Do I look all right?’ she asked anxiously. Suddenly it was really important that Lucius gave his approval of the outfit.

For a moment Lucius didn’t reply but then he said quietly, ‘Oh, no . . . not all right.’

Julia felt her heart sink unhappily, she had really thought she had done a good job on the outfit. But then Lucius rushed towards her, grabbing hold of her hands and kissing them.

‘You look so much better than all right, Julia, you look absolutely fantastic . . . astonishingly beautiful. You’ll be the most attractive woman there by miles.’ Lucius’ smile was so wide now that Julia couldn’t help but join in. He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. ‘Good job,’ he whispered.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered back in reply.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The party was masquerade themed and Julia and Lucius had been given masks to wear as they entered the house. She had chosen a classic silver Venetian mask with cerise feathers that went fairly well with her outfit, Lucius had chosen a black velvet eye mask. For some reason Julia found it very alluring and kept finding herself gazing at him, having to work hard to tear her eyes away from her handsome husband. The mask on top of her outfit had given her a little confidence and she tried to relax as he led her into the party.

Immediately, they were surrounded by people all wanting to talk to Lucius and many wanting to meet Julia. She began to feel a little overwhelmed at the attention, her head spinning from the number of people she had been introduced to. Lucius got them each a glass of champagne and led her through the crowds of people to where a tall man wearing a mask similar to Lucius’ held court amongst a group of admirers, much as Lucius had done when they arrived. Surely this had to be Draco. Lucius gave Julia her glass of champagne, then pushed forward to greet his son.

‘Draco, it’s good to see you,’ he said sincerely, hugging his son happily. The man responded in a similar manner. ‘When can we take these blasted masks off?’ Lucius continued. ‘They’re a pain in the arse. Trust old Nott to choose them.’

‘Let’s go outside,’ Draco said. ‘I’m sure we can safely remove them out there, even if only for a few minutes.’

The group headed for the door to the terrace and soon settled outside. The masks were removed by almost all the partygoers as soon as they were out the door. Julia saw that Draco was as tall as his father and looked very much like him, albeit with short hair rather than long. Surely this must have been how Lucius himself had looked twenty-five years before. Draco had a pleasant, friendly, open smile and instantly held his hand out to Julia as Lucius introduced her.

‘It’s good to finally meet you, Julia. I’m so glad my father got paired with someone nearer his own age,’ he confided candidly after the hand-shaking had ended. ‘We were all taking the piss out of him, telling him he was going to get saddled with some stupid eighteen-year-old who would bleed him dry and try to kill him off with sex. Of course, when we didn’t get to see you, we were sure he had and was just pretending to everyone that you were older. I can see why he’s been keeping you well hidden, though.’ He smiled again.

‘Can you? Why?’ Julia asked worriedly.

Laughing loudly, Draco said, ‘Because he didn’t want all his mates letching over you, of course. I bet there are a fair few blokes in there who would quite happily kill him right now to get their hands on you, especially when you see the dogs they’ve been saddled with. I bet he’s glad you’re wearing a mask tonight.’

Julia laughed but a small ripple of fear ran through her. Surely Draco was joking, wasn’t he? No one was going to try to kill Lucius. She would need to keep an eye out just to be on the safe side, though. After all, they still had another thirteen months before the “death charm” was removed. She didn’t want to end up losing her life because of some mad Death Eater. And if she was honest, she didn’t really want to lose Lucius, either.

‘And I thought it was because he was embarrassed about being bonded to me,’ Julia said, trying to keep her voice light.

‘Hardly!’ Draco snorted. ‘All we’ve heard for months now is how wonderful you are. And I’ll admit he certainly seems happy.’

‘Do you think so?’ Julia asked, suddenly warm inside from the knowledge that Lucius had been telling people she was wonderful. She really hoped he meant it and that it hadn’t just been an attempt to make his friends and family think he was better off than he really was.

Draco shrugged. ‘It’s hard to tell with him sometimes, I know, as he’s always so guarded about everything, but he’s the happiest I’ve seen him in years and he’s calmed right down. I don’t know what you’ve done to him but my father’s a changed man.’ He gave her that friendly smile again. ‘Here, let me introduce you to the rest of my group. You’ll be waiting all night for my father to do it.’

Taking her arm he led her over to where his friends were chatting and began the introductions.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia was having a good evening. She had spent most of it talking to Draco and his friends, who had commandeered several bottles of champagne which they had brought with them to the terrace, whilst Lucius had gone back to the party to talk to his own friends, apparently happy to leave her outside rather than have her with him. She had met and had a long talk with Draco’s fiancée, a pretty girl with long, fiery red hair by the name of Ginny who had turned out to be the sister of Ron Weasley.

But now she’d had enough of the party and the incessant chatter and really wanted to go home. Putting her mask back on, just to be on the safe side, she wandered into the house to find Lucius. She soon found him chatting to a group of men at the edge of the dance floor. They all seemed to be talking loudly over each other, none of them really listening to what any of the others were saying.

She touched Lucius’ arm lightly. ‘Will you dance with me?’ Julia asked quietly.

Lucius grinned and nodded, and having given his excuses to the group he took her in his arms and moved her across the floor.

‘Thank you for saving me,’ he said gratefully. ‘They can be a bit much sometimes. Did you have a good time? I saw you talking to Draco and Ginny.’

‘Yes, it was interesting. They’re both very nice and make a lovely couple. Actually, I’ve had a really good evening.’ Julia snuggled closer to him, rubbing her body quite provocatively against his. ‘But I’d quite like to go home soon, if that’s possible.’

‘Really, you’ve had enough?’ Lucius’ voice was sympathetic. His head was resting against hers, lips brushing gently over her hair.

‘Mmmm, yes. I’ve had enough champagne and there’s been a _lot_ of talk.’ Julia wrapped her arms around his neck.

‘We should stay a little longer, really,’ Lucius said, although he didn’t sound any more eager than she.

‘That’s a shame,’ Julia replied, her whisper seductive. ‘I thought you might want to see my new underwear.’ She pulled back to wink at him.

‘New underwear, you say?’ Lucius replied, sounding more interested now.

‘Yes. Very new and very sexy,’ she confirmed.

‘Did you spend a lot of money when you went shopping?’ Lucius asked her.

A little surprised at the question after Lucius had told her to spend as much as she wanted, Julia felt a small knot form in her stomach. Had she spent too much? She had definitely spent a lot.

‘Yes, lots. I’m really sorry.’ Julia looked upset.

Lucius squeezed her tightly. ‘I’m sure it was worth it,’ he replied, ‘although I may have to punish you for spending so much. Do you think your new underwear suitable for being spanked in?’  

Julia’s heart beat faster. Lucius wanted to spank her? This was something new and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. But this wasn’t the time to show fear or to ruin Lucius’ obviously good mood by being prissy and she was very much enjoying the way he was currently holding and talking to her.

She appeared to think about it for a moment then answered cheekily, ‘I’m not really sure. I expect so, although I think you’ll need to check for yourself to make certain . . . to be honest, I’m not really up on spanking attire.’

‘Oh, I will definitely be checking, I can assure you of that, Julia. In fact, I shall take charge of that just as soon as we get home,’ Lucius promised smoothly, his voice making her shiver. Then he pulled her into a brief kiss. ‘Which should be in about five minutes,’ he confirmed after the kiss finished. ‘Now, let’s go.’

Once they had said the obligatory farewells they Apparated straight into Lucius’ office. Julia was a little surprised by this. Of all the places she might have expected to be taken, the office certainly wasn’t the obvious choice. She dropped her shawl and bag on a chair and reached up to untie her mask, adding it to the pile. Lucius went to remove his mask but she reached out to stop him.

‘Not yet,’ she whispered. ‘I think that makes you look even sexier. You look very mysterious like that.’

Lucius smirked as he pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately.

‘So, do you want to see my underwear?’ Julia asked teasingly as she pulled away from him after several long minutes of kissing.

‘Of course I do,’ Lucius said. ‘Do you want a drink?’

‘Yes, please.’

Lucius crossed the room, opening a cabinet and removing a bottle and two glasses. Taking them back to the desk he poured them both a drink, handing one of the glasses to Julia before taking a sip of his own. Leaning back easily against the desk, he pulled off the mask, discarding it carelessly on the table. 

‘Take your dress off, Julia,’ he ordered.

Smiling, Julia put the glass down on the desk then reached up to undo the halter neck of her dress. It fell, revealing a plunging lilac strapless bra with slightly darker purple satin flowers across the top. She wiggled her hips and the silky dress slid to the floor, leaving her in tiny matching knickers and suspender belt with sheer flesh-coloured stockings. Lucius’ look told her everything she needed to know about what he thought of the new underwear and she walked seductively towards him to pick up her glass and take a sip of her drink before ducking back out of his reach.

‘So? What do you think?’

Lucius continued looking at her for a moment. ‘You’re right, it is very sexy. Turn round, please.’ 

Julia slowly turned around, stood there for a few seconds, feeling a little self-conscious, then turned back again.

‘Definitely very spankable,’ Lucius confirmed. His voice was rich and seductive. ‘Now tell me, madam, did you spend a lot of money when you went shopping?’

Julia nodded.

‘I can’t hear you,’ Lucius snapped, his voice harder and sharper suddenly.

Julia looked surprised at his tone and flushed with instant embarrassment. The knot was suddenly back in her stomach. ‘Yes, Lucius, I spent a lot of money . . . I’m sorry.’

Lucius chuckled warmly. ‘I’m sure you are, wife.’ He took another sip of his drink as he continued to gaze at her. ‘So, let’s see just how much you spent, shall we?’

Julia looked really uncomfortable now. Apart from Lucius’ intense look, which was so much more intrusive than she had envisioned it being when she had imagined flirting with him over her underwear, she had never in her life spent anywhere near as much money as she had on the outfit she had worn this evening and she hadn’t expected to have to admit just how much she had paid for it.

‘What’s the matter, don’t you want to tell me?’ Lucius asked. Julia shook her head, looking worried. ‘I’m sure it can’t have been that much, Julia,’ Lucius said with another chuckle. ‘You never spend any money.’

‘I did this time,’ Julia admitted. ‘I spent loads of it. I’m really sorry, Lucius.’

Lucius looked amused. ‘Stop apologising and tell me how much you spent.’ He took another sip of his drink. ‘How much was the dress?’

‘Three hundred and fifty Galleons.’ Julia whispered the price, almost shocked herself at how much it had cost.

Lucius laughed. ‘I do know what Madam Malkin charges for decent dress robes, you know. I used to have to buy them regularly for Narcissa, remember. Believe me, three hundred and fifty Galleons is nothing. It’s a snip. Anyway, it was worth every Knut. You looked absolutely stunning in it.’

Julia smiled at the compliment. Perhaps she would enjoy this game after all if Lucius wasn’t angry at the price of the dress.

‘And tell me about the shoes.’

‘They cost one hundred and fifty Galleons.’ Julia’s voice was quiet as she said it and she winced internally at the extravagant cost of the shoes that she probably wasn’t going to get much use out of. She picked up her glass and took a calming sip of the drink. 

Lucius took another sip of his drink, too, as he looked at the shoes appraisingly for a moment then smirked. ‘They’ll sparkle well when your legs are wrapped around my neck,’ he said wickedly, ‘so they’re definitely worth the money. What about the accessories?’

Julia shrugged as she admitted, ‘I think they cost about two hundred and fifty Galleons.’

‘Well, they’re pretty and add to the look — so, essential, I expect. These things usually are, or so Narcissa always said.’ He looked at her more salaciously now. ‘And now on to that delicious underwear.’

‘That cost just over fifty Galleons,’ Julia told him.

‘And worth every Sickle,’ Lucius told her approvingly, ‘especially the stockings, they really are incredibly sexy. Perhaps I should make you wear stockings all the time . . . although then I’d be permanently hard and I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.’ He laughed. ‘Come here, wife, I want to kiss you.’ He opened his arms for her.

Julia walked into them, squealing as he grabbed her bottom and his mouth found hers.

‘So you spent about eight hundred Galleons in total,’ Lucius said, sounding stern, when they had finished kissing.

Julia nodded, looking worried again. It sounded so much when it was all put together like that.

‘Definitely money well spent,’ Lucius whispered approvingly. ‘However, I am still going to have to punish you.’ He grinned.

‘Why?’ Julia asked, sounding confused.

‘Because you look too damn sexy in that underwear,’ Lucius admitted.

‘You’re not going to hurt me, are you?’ Julia asked anxiously.

‘Have you never been spanked before?’ Lucius asked. Without waiting for a response he added, ‘No, that figures. Your boyfriend wasn’t exactly the adventurous type, was he?’

He took her glass and placed it with his on the far end of the desk with the bottle.

‘I want you to bend over the desk,’ he said, his voice a dark whisper. His finger stroked slowly down her spine. ‘Trust me, Julia, I promise I won’t hurt you.’

Julia nodded and bent over the desk with her forearms resting on it, her bottom suddenly feeling very exposed. The tiny g-string knickers didn’t cover anything. Lucius made a quiet strangled moaning sound and his hand ran down the crack of her buttocks, tracing the line of the g string.

‘Time to lose this, I think,’ he said quietly and pulled the minuscule item down, then released it to drop around Julia’s ankles. He walked to the side of her, turning her face to look at him. ‘Are you all right?’ Lucius asked her gently.

‘Yes,’ Julia replied, although she didn’t sound too confident.

‘The intention is not to hurt you,’ Lucius told her matter-of-factly. ‘The idea is to have a bit of fun that gives us both some pleasure. If you don’t like it, tell me and I’ll stop immediately. If you don’t tell me, I won’t know you don’t like it. I am not a mind reader, Julia. And whatever happens, please don’t suffer it because you think I’m enjoying it. For this to work, we both have to like it. Do you understand?’

Julia nodded.

‘Say it,’ Lucius commanded.

‘Yes, Lucius, I’ll tell you if I don’t like it.’ Julia felt a little stupid saying it out loud but didn’t dare go against him in case his mood changed.

He smiled and bent to kiss her briefly on the lips. ‘Now relax. It’ll sting a little, but it should be bearable.’

He disappeared from her view and Julia waited, tensing, although she tried not to. She couldn’t believe that she was really letting Lucius do this to her. She had never been into pain and she had never considered being hit as being sexy. Still nothing happened and she began to relax.

Whack.

Julia gasped as Lucius’ palm connected with her left cheek, a stinging slap that made a huge noise. She bit her bottom lip as she felt tears form in her eyes and her heart skipped a beat. Fuck, that hurt! But it hadn’t really. Oh, yes, it stung, but the noise and shock of it happening had been far worse than the pain that wasn’t really pain. Lucius’ hand rubbed gently over her bottom, soothing the stinging skin. Now, that did feel good. She could stand the spanking if he was going to do that afterwards every time.

‘Are you all right?’ Lucius asked, checking once more. He wasn’t convinced Julia would tell him to stop and he didn’t want to get this wrong when everything was going so well between them.

‘Yes,’ Julia answered, her voice sounding stronger than before the ordeal started.

Lucius smiled as he continued soothing her bottom.

Whack.

His hand landed on her right cheek, causing her to gasp louder. That one seemed to hurt more, but it still wasn’t unbearable. Again came the soothing rubbing, followed by another hit, then more soothing. With each slap Julia’s mewls grew louder, although she wasn’t sure if the cries were of pain or something else. She had just realised that she was aroused, very aroused. Her nipples were stiff and she knew she was wet — almost molten, in fact — and desperate for Lucius’ touch.

‘More,’ she whispered.

Lucius smiled. ‘You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?’ 

‘Yes,’ Julia cried honestly.

His hand slid between her legs, finding her soaking slit, and she moaned as he pushed two fingers inside her.

‘You are so wet,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘Being spanked obviously really turns you on.’

His fingers withdrew and his hand caressed her bottom again before landing with a thwack on her cheek. When he had finally hit each cheek five times he stopped, his hand stroking slowly and gently over the bright red flesh as he admired the wonderful sight before him. Who would have guessed that his wife would be so amenable to something as enjoyable as spanking. He was beginning to realise he had got lucky when he married Julia, and not just because of her age. His hands were still caressing her bottom as he pressed against her, rubbing his erection against her soft skin and hearing her small gasp of desire.

‘I want to make love to you,’ he whispered in her ear.

‘I want you, too,’ Julia told him, her voice breathy with desire.

‘Not a contract thing,’ Lucius clarified, wanting her to know how he felt. ‘I want this because right at this moment I want you more than any woman alive.’

Julia sighed happily.

Lucius moved back a little to free his cock from the constraints of his trousers, definitely too tight with the erection Julia had given him. He rubbed it against her tight, wet slit, enjoying the feeling of her warm and swollen lips sucking him in.

‘Fuck me . . . please, Lucius,’ Julia begged.

With a groan of desire in response, Lucius pushed into her, enjoying her cry of pleasure as he slid deep inside her. This position was so good for deep penetration. Slowly he moved in and out, Julia giving a small cry with every thrust. She felt so damn good and he couldn’t help but get faster, undoing her bra before his hands slid round to find her breasts, her nipples so hard they were like small pebbles. His mouth found her neck, kissing, biting and licking as he continued to plunge deep inside her. Julia’s cries were growing louder, her muscles contracting as she climaxed. Lucius was enjoying it but he wanted more from her and he didn’t want to come just yet. He froze, holding her tight, waiting until Julia’s orgasm had subsided; then he withdrew.

Julia looked over her shoulder at him worriedly. ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked.

Lucius smiled and ran his finger down Julia’s spine, making her shiver. ‘Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart, but I haven’t finished with you.’ He kissed her neck once more. ‘I’m just not ready to come yet.’

His hand drifted down again and a finger slid into her wetness before moving up to press at her tightest hole. Julia gasped.

‘Relax, darling,’ Lucius crooned. ‘I’m not going to hurt you.’

He smiled again as Julia took him at his word, relaxing and allowing him to penetrate her further, a second finger eventually joining the first as he whispered his desire in her ear. Soon she was pushing against him, small mewls of enjoyment escaping her lips.

‘I want to be inside you,’ Lucius said excitedly. ‘Will you let me? I promise I won’t hurt you.’

Julia nodded. She couldn’t explain how she felt, but this was nothing like she had ever experienced before and she didn’t want it to stop yet.

‘Yes,’ she whispered, her voice soft as a summer breeze.

Then his fingers were gone and Julia heard him muttering, some sort of spell or incantation, she assumed. Another moment and his cock was there, pushing slowly at the tightness. She gasped.

‘Does it hurt?’ Lucius’ voice was soothing and concerned.

‘No,’ Julia admitted. ‘It feels unusual, but not painful.’

‘If you want me to stop I will,’ he told her.

‘Not yet,’ she replied, moaning again as he slid deeper inside her.

‘Gods, you feel so good,’ Lucius whispered, ‘so tight.’

His hands grabbed her hips as he pushed deeper, trying to keep it slow and measured. This felt so good and he didn’t want to hurt Julia by going too fast. Slowly he moved, the thrusts getting deeper and harder as her cries indicated her pleasure at what they were doing. His mouth clamped down on her shoulder, marking her as his, making her cry out anew. But eventually, the sensation became overwhelming for her and she begged him to stop.

As Lucius had promised he immediately pulled out of her, turning her round, his hands lifting under her bottom to place her on the edge of the desk, and after a few seconds rest during which he performed a small and unobstrusive cleaning charm, he pulled her onto his cock, his hands running through her hair, pulling it from the plait, his mouth finding hers, hard and conquering.

‘I’m sorry,’ she whimpered.

‘Shhh, sweetheart, don’t you apologise,’ Lucius told her gently as his hand stroked her face. ‘Never apologise to me for this. I told you we both have to enjoy it. Anyway, why would I waste my time on something you’re not keen on when I can get so much more pleasure from this?’

His lips found hers again as he pushed deep inside her sex, both of them crying out with excitement this time as he brought her to orgasm once more, his own following hers in a heartbeat.

‘We should go to bed,’ Lucius told Julia when they had finally calmed enough to talk.

Julia nodded, her head already resting on his chest. He picked her up from the desk, holding her tenderly.

‘No, Lucius, I’m naked,’ she said worriedly as he left the office carrying her.

‘I know,’ he said salaciously, ‘and very beautiful you are, too.’

‘What if someone sees us?’

Lucius laughed. ‘Who’s going to see us, Julia, the house-elves? They’re in bed. This is our house, remember, we can do what we want.’

He kissed her again and carried her upstairs.

‘Where are we going?’ she asked in confusion as he took the other corridor from hers, stopping outside a large door.

‘My bedroom. I think it’s time you finally got to see it.’

‘Your bedroom.’ Julia’s voice was soft and full of pleasure as she smiled at her husband, a small tingle of excitement running through her.

‘Welcome to my bedroom, Mrs Malfoy,’ Lucius said as he laid his wife gently on the bed.

Julia sat up and looked around her. ‘It’s beautiful,’ she said. ‘It’s very you, Lucius.’

Lucius smiled, looking pleased with her compliment. ‘You like it?’

‘Oh yes, very much.’ She ran her hand down the thick coverlet on the bed. ‘It’s very Slytherin.’ She looked at her shoulder. ‘What’s that?’ She pointed to a large purple mark that had taken up residence.

‘It looks like a love bite to me. I guess I got a bit carried away,’ Lucius admitted. He didn’t look at all guilty at having done it.

Julia laughed. ‘No low necks for me for a few days, then. My mother would be horrified if she could see that!’

Lucius stroked her shoulder. ‘Well, I like it. It tells everyone you belong to me.’

‘Perhaps I should give you one, too,’ Julia said daringly. She was unbuttoning his shirt now, having realised that Lucius was still fully dressed while she was just about naked.

‘If you want,’ Lucius told her with a smile. ‘Where are you going to put it?’

She pulled the shirt off looking at him carefully. ‘It doesn’t really matter, does it? Wherever I put it it’s not going to show once you’ve got your shirt on.’

‘I’ll know it’s there, though,’ Lucius said.

‘True, but that’s not quite the same, is it? Anyway, I think they’re one of those spur of the moment things.’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Lucius said playfully. He pushed her down beneath him, his mouth capturing her left breast just above her nipple. He sucked hard and a small dark bruise appeared on her skin.

‘Ouch! Stop it,’ Julia said, hitting him.

Lucius laughed. ‘Now I know that didn’t hurt.’ He grinned salaciously. ‘Shall I cover you with love bites?’

‘No! Stop it, Lucius. I don’t want any more.’ Julia was trying not to laugh as she fought him off, thoroughly enjoying the easy atmosphere between them.

Lucius grinned. ‘I’m just making sure that no one else touches you,’ he said playfully. ‘How about one on your bottom?’

‘No! Who’s going to touch me, Lucius? I never see anyone but you.’

‘That’s not the point.’ His hand stroked her face, his thumb running gently around her lips.

‘Well, I think these mysterious men, whoever they are, will get the hint, so you can stop now,’ she said, trying to sound stern but failing, her hands moving down to undo his trousers.

‘You can give me one down there if you like,’ Lucius told her. He grinned wickedly.

‘No chance. I’m not going anywhere near that,’ Julia said with a laugh, although her hand ran over and squeezed his cock, making him moan.

‘Do you want me to beg you?’ Lucius asked.

‘No. Why would you beg me?’ Julia replied, sounding surprised.

‘Because I want your mouth on me, Julia. I want you to suck me.’

‘I had other plans,’ Julia whispered as she played with his cock, feeling it stiffen, spreading the precum over the tip.

‘Really?’ Lucius’ voice was gruff and hopeful.

‘Really.’ Julia pushed him down, kissing him as she impaled herself on his hardness, stopping any chance of dissent, moaning loudly with desire as she did so.

‘Oh, yes!’ Lucius moaned, his hands moving to squeeze her breasts as Julia rode him hard, crying out every time she pulled him inside her. ‘Oh gods, you’re going to make me come again.’

‘Good, that’s the idea!’

She bent forward to kiss him again and he captured her, rolling her over until she was under him, her hands above her head as he pinned her to the bed.

‘Not until you come,’ he said, his mouth finding her throat.

Julia’s breathing was shallow and thready now as he thrust into her, pulling her legs up and over his shoulders.

‘Nice shoes,’ he whispered.

She cried loudly as he thrust deeper, whimpering his name over and over again as he pulled her closer to climax.

‘Come for me,’ he begged.

‘Yes!’ screamed Julia as she climaxed again, her contractions making Lucius explode.

 

. . .

 

Julia moved, pulling away from where she was wrapped around Lucius. She had no idea what the time was; it was very late, or rather very early. Lucius’ arm tightened around her waist.

‘Where do you think you’re going?’ he asked, his voice quiet and serious. She hadn’t realised he was still awake.

‘Back to my room,’ she admitted.

‘Why?’ He opened his eyes to look at her.

‘I know you like having your bed to yourself,’ she told him. ‘So I was going to leave before you chucked me out.’

‘I don’t want you to go,’ Lucius said sleepily. ‘Stay here with me . . . please?’

Julia kissed him on his nose. ‘Just as long as you want me to,’ she whispered happily as she burrowed back against him once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Julia wasn’t sure what had happened to Lucius to change his mind about her, but she was glad he had. Ever since the evening of the party she had spent every night in his bed. It seemed he no longer had any desire for them to keep to their separate areas of the house. Their lovemaking had increased considerably, too. With Lucius she had the chance to be adventurous and try those things she had often fantasised about doing without worrying about being seen as perverted, as she had always suspected Nigel would think her had she mentioned them to him. Lucius’ experience was far more extensive than hers and he was always more than happy to react to her tentative suggestions.

For his part, Lucius was pleased that Julia was now relaxed enough to confide her deeper desires to him. He enjoyed watching his beautiful wife as she became more confident, both in their lovemaking and in their relationship. He was always quick to stop if Julia didn’t like what they were doing or it became too uncomfortable, as he had no desire to upset or harm the woman he had fallen in love with.

This more than anything else ensured that Julia’s trust in him grew and made her far more willing to try his suggestions, which at times seemed a little extreme and reminded her of the reputation he had gained before their marriage but often turned out to be incredibly enjoyable for both of them. They were no longer having sex just to fulfil the contract but because they desired each other intensely and wanted to give each other pleasure in whatever way they could.

Now they had been together for just over eighteen months Julia had finally begun to feel at home at Malfoy Manor. Lucius rarely went out anymore but seemed to prefer spending his evenings at home with her rather than on the nocturnal jaunts he had always enjoyed previously. He often surprised her with little gifts; usually beautiful and sexy lingerie that he had fantasised about seeing her in and that she was happy to model for him, but occasionally he gave her more interesting things like books or jewellery and perfume.

Lucius had never told her that he loved her, although to be fair neither had she said anything of the sort to him, and she wasn’t sure whether he ever would, whether he could ever allow a Muggle-born to take such an important part in his life and actually admit to that. But Julia knew she now loved Lucius with all her heart, and every day she spent with him made her desire for him deepen.

Once their relationship moved into this new realm Lucius began publicly acknowledging her as his wife. He regularly took her shopping, something he freely admitted he’d had absolutely no interest in doing while married to Narcissa but was surprised to find that he enjoyed with Julia. There was nothing he liked better than to shower his money on her, buying her beautiful clothes because he knew that if he didn’t she would never spend the money on herself. She was definitely no gold-digger.

He delighted in taking Julia out for meals, introducing her to restaurants he had known for decades and gaining new enjoyment from them with her discoveries. But he took particular pleasure in showing her off to his friends, many of whom he knew were jealous at his luck with his pairing. Some of them hadn’t been anywhere near as lucky in their own relationships, and even those in Pure-blood marriages were rarely as happy as he and Julia were, and were certainly nowhere near as content sexually.

As the months continued to pass the two of them grew closer still and were as happy as it was possible to be, especially considering their beginnings — except for one thing. Julia had not yet fallen pregnant. Lucius had tried to assure his wife that it was just a matter of time and there was nothing wrong about the fact that she hadn’t yet conceived, but she wasn’t so sure.

Although it was true that she and Nigel had never really wanted children, as she had told Lucius at the beginning of their marriage, they had never actively tried to stop conception, either; and during the fifteen years they had been together, at no time had she even had a glimmer of the possibility of pregnancy. While it was possible that Nigel was the one who couldn’t provide children, Julia had always harboured a secret worry that she was the one who was barren. This had never really been an issue before except during a couple of broody moments when friends had borne their own children, and she had soon got over those, more wrapped up in her job than in a desire to have children. But now it was extremely important.

Julia was no longer interested in her marriage to Lucius being annulled after the two-year period was up, but without a child to cement their union there would be no choice in the matter. Regardless of their feelings for each other now, the Ministry would annul their marriage and Lucius would be given to someone else, someone who wasn’t defective and could provide the child Julia couldn’t.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia had no expectations where Lucius was concerned. She was just happy to be with him and didn’t need to hear him tell her that he loved her, although she had often imagined him saying it. She knew he cared about her, knew that he enjoyed being with her both sexually and otherwise, and for her that was enough — and certainly more than she had ever expected, especially when she thought back to the day of the wedding and the way he had treated her then. But there was a tiny part of her she couldn’t quite shift that worried that what they had was fragile, something that could easily be lost if she were to do something stupid.

‘My father is completely in love with you,’ Draco had told Julia during one of their conversations, ‘and you care for him too, don’t you?’

Julia laughed self-consciously. ‘I’m not sure it’s love that Lucius feels, Draco. But I do admit I have enjoyed being with him far more than I expected to.’

‘Oh, I know he’s not very good at saying it, at least not to you,’ Draco continued. ‘But it’s really obvious when the two of you are together, and the way he talks about you gives it away even more clearly. Ask anyone, they all know my father loves you in a way he never did my mother.’

‘That’s good to hear,’ Julia admitted. ‘I just hope everything continues to go as well as it has so far.’

‘I don’t know why it wouldn’t,’ Draco said. ‘There’s nothing to come between you, is there?’

Julia frowned. ‘I’m not so sure about that, Draco.’ He looked at her interestedly, wondering what she was talking about. ‘The Ministry expects us to have children and it’s just not happening,’ Julia explained.

Draco shrugged. ‘It will, just give it time.’

‘But we only have two years,’ Julia said quietly, her voice sad, admitting out loud for the first time her fear of what would happen if she didn’t get pregnant soon.

Draco looked at her sympathetically. ‘I really don’t think you need to worry,’ he said reassuringly. ‘The Ministry aren’t that draconian.’   

‘I hope you’re right,’ Julia said and then changed the subject, not wanting to think any longer about the problem, although still not convinced that it would all be all right.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As the months marched on and their two-year anniversary grew closer Julia became more fretful and weepy, although as had always been the case in their relationship she tried hard not to let Lucius see this. Now it wasn’t to hide the weakness that he could use against her if he knew about it but to stop him from worrying about her. Outwardly she was still the same confident, happy woman she had always been. Internally she was a complete mess.

In the final six months before the two-year deadline she and Lucius had been making love at least twice a day, trying different positions and different times in yet more vain attempts to ensure she would fall pregnant. But as each month ended with that red stain that proved to her once again that her body was defective, the depression that she had been trying so hard to keep hidden from her husband became deeper and more entrenched.    

Occasionally, when she was having a particularly bad day, Julia would imagine that Lucius was perfectly happy with the way things were between them and that his attempts to soothe her weren’t because he cared but that he was just counting down the days until their marriage would be over. He had done exactly what he needed to do to convince the Ministry that they had tried for a baby and soon he would be free of her, able to go about his life with some new woman to provide him with sexual gratification and the child Julia was unable to give him.

She had never blamed Lucius for her lack of conception, as some women would have done, never wondered whether he had done something magical to her to ensure there was no pregnancy. She didn’t need to. Julia was so convinced of her own failure that she didn’t need to look any further.

But now there was so little time left and she didn’t know what to do. Lucius had tried to persuade her that nothing would change between them, that they didn’t need a baby to make their marriage work, and even Draco and Ginny had assured her that the Ministry of Magic wouldn’t do anything to end their marriage when it was so clearly a success, but Julia wasn’t so sure. She remembered what the official had said about how the entire point of the law was to ensure a new strong crop of wizards and she and Lucius just weren’t providing that, however much in love they might be.          

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia clung to Lucius, tears rolling down her cheeks from an orgasm that threatened to overwhelm her completely. Lucius’ hand gently stroked her back as she cried and he concentrated on calming his own heartbeat and steadying his breathing. Once he had allowed himself to care for Julia it had been all too easy to fall for his attractive and intelligent wife.

Of course, there were still occasional moments when the old animosity towards Muggle-borns resurfaced. It was hard for it not to after so many decades of it being drummed into him, but he was working hard at quelling those thoughts forever. He didn’t want to risk losing the relationship that had made him the happiest he had ever been in his life because of some stupid prejudice he didn’t even believe in any longer.

Julia shifted in his arms; her eyes were still wet with tears but she gave him a smile as he brushed the hair from her eyes.

‘Thank you, Lucius,’ she whispered. ‘That was wonderful.’

 _Yes, it was_ , Lucius thought as he moved to wrap Julia more comfortably in his arms.  

‘We really do make a very good couple,’ he told her fondly. ‘For once I think the Ministry actually got it right.’ Julia’s smile faded at the mention of the Ministry of Magic. ‘What’s the matter?’ Lucius asked, sensing her sudden change in mood.

‘You know what tomorrow is?’ Julia asked, sounding upset.

‘Wednesday?’ Lucius replied with a smirk. He was winding Julia up, of course. He was well aware of the significance of the day.

‘It’s our second anniversary, Lucius.’ Julia’s voice was quieter now.

‘I know that. I can’t believe how quickly it’s gone,’ Lucius admitted honestly. He kissed her deeply, then added, ‘I wonder who would have believed we would be this happy? I know I certainly didn’t.’

‘Me neither,’ Julia admitted softly.

‘I really didn’t want to be married to you,’ Lucius continued. ‘You were right when you said I’d have killed you inside a week if it weren’t for that charm stopping me.’

 _And Merlin, what I would have missed out on_ , he thought as his fingers trailed over her soft skin as they had done hundreds of times since they had married.

‘You can kill me tomorrow,’ Julia replied archly. ‘It won’t affect you any longer.’

Lucius gave a gruff laugh and squeezed her, holding her tightly against him. ‘I have no intention of killing you off, wife.’ His voice was deep and low with desire. ‘In fact, I intend to make sure that you live a very long and productive life now that I’ve got you just right.’

‘What do you mean now you’ve got me just right?’ Julia asked sharply.

‘Well, now I’ve ironed out the rough edges, given you the social class and wealth you were lacking.’ Julia huffed but didn’t say anything. ‘What? You can’t deny I’ve given you a much better life than you had before . . . and you’re so much better dressed now,’ he said smugly.

Julia slapped his arm. ‘Don’t be so cheeky. I had a perfectly good life before you came along.’

‘Yes, of course you did. One with a boring boyfriend who was no good in bed, and one where you were so badly dressed . . . well you were,’ Lucius said good-naturedly as Julia scowled at him. ‘I mean, when I think back to all those awful clothes you used to wear . . . and the underwear . . . . ’ He shuddered.

‘There was nothing wrong with my underwear,’ Julia said defensively, feeling the same annoyance rise in her that had happened that day so long ago now, when Lucius had turned on her because of the way she was dressed. ‘I didn’t have the money to buy the sort of clothes you expected me to wear,’ she said quietly.

Lucius’ hand tilted her chin up as his lips found hers again with a gentle kiss.

‘I know. And that’s why I kept trying to get you to go shopping and spend my money. You know I like you in sexy underwear.’ He waggled his eyebrows lecherously as his hand slid between Julia’s legs, finding and rubbing at the moist skin he found there. Julia gave a low whimper of pleasure. ‘Although to be honest, I prefer you in nothing at all.’

Lucius’ mouth covered hers once more as his fingers continued to play, a small gasp of pleasure escaping his lips as Julia’s hand reached for his cock and wrapped tightly around it. He released her from his arms and pushed her down beneath him on the bed, his tongue now licking around her nipples, nipping and sucking as they stiffened beneath his touch.

Julia’s eyes were closed as she revelled in what he was doing to her, knowing it wouldn’t be long before he took her again. Lucius never seemed to be able to do it just once. And then he was moving down her body, kissing as he went, making her skin break out in goose bumps as she shivered with desire. She relaxed and went with it, enjoying as always the feeling of his tongue on her clit — God, he was good at doing that — and then the wonderful feeling as his tongue moved lower, making her cry out anew.

A surge of lust ran through her just as Lucius’ tongue became almost unbearable and she pushed him away, taking over with her own agenda now. Her mouth found his semi-erect cock, teasing and sucking him until it stiffened once more; then, before he could take control as he always liked to do, she impaled herself on him and rode him in the way she knew would give both of them the most enjoyment.

She could hear Lucius whispering her name and it made her react, knowing he was close to climax. But a moment later Lucius grabbed her and with a growl he rolled them over until she was underneath him, where he could control the action better. And then it was only a few short, hard thrusts and Julia was crying out as another climax claimed her, leaving her breathless and panting once again.  

 

. . .

 

‘What’s going to happen to us, Lucius?’ Julia asked quietly.

Lucius bent and kissed her on the mouth, then pulled back, looking thoughtful. ‘We’re going to live happily ever after,’ he said, without a trace of sarcasm.

‘Are we?’ Julia didn’t sound so sure. ‘What about the Ministry? They said—’

Lucius snorted. ‘I’ve told you before, Julia, I don’t care what the Ministry said. You’re my wife and I refuse to give you up now just because we haven’t yet had a child.’ He pulled her close to him. ‘I’m sure the Ministry are sensible about this sort of thing, sweetheart,’ he said consolingly. ‘If worst comes to worst we can tell them that we haven’t made the necessary attempts to have a child but we’ll make a concerted effort to do better in the future. They don’t need to know we can’t keep our hands off each other, do they?’

He smiled at her reassuringly and Julia sighed, knowing that as ever this was one argument she was never going to win. Lucius wanted to think the best of the Ministry of Magic and she had no choice but to hope he was right. She snuggled into his chest, his steady breathing soothing her and lulling her into sleep.

‘I love you, Julia,’ Lucius whispered into her hair once she had drifted off, his arms holding her tightly. And he meant it.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia woke to the sound of Lucius singing in the shower. She stretched out in bed, a smile on her face as she listened to him crooning the old Celestina Warbeck standard ‘A Cauldron Full of Hot Strong Love’. He had a pretty good voice and she always enjoyed listening to him but he only ever sang when he was alone, or thought he was. He was obviously feeling happy this morning. That was another prerequisite for the tunefulness, a light and happy heart.

She supposed she should get up as she had a whole load of work waiting for her that she couldn’t put off, but she was loath to leave the bed, comfortable as it was, especially if there was any chance that happy Lucius would be coming back to it and her shortly. She stretched again. Lucius had turned off the shower and was almost at the end of the song. She would wait here for a few more minutes just in case he could be lured back into bed.

_‘Oh come and stir my cauldron, and if you do it right, I’ll boil you up some hot strong love, to keep you warm tonight.’_

Finished with the song he had been singing while he showered, Lucius left the bathroom, hoping Julia was awake. He was feeling good. They had made it, without too many problems, to their second anniversary and everything could only get better from here on in. He knew his wife was worried about the fact that she hadn’t got pregnant yet, but Lucius wasn’t bothered about that.

He wasn’t even sure he wanted another child. Draco was old enough to have children of his own now, so why did he need to go through all that hassle with a baby again? Things were perfect as they were — just him and Julia, able to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted. Even the Ministry of Magic wouldn’t be able to argue that they hadn’t been successful in their pairing.

‘Morning, sweetheart,’ he said as he bent over Julia, enjoying as always looking at his beautiful wife. ‘I’m glad you’re awake.’

Julia laughed. ‘I could hardly be anything but with the noise you were making in the bathroom, Lucius.’ She winked at him as he frowned slightly. ‘You sounded good. You’re obviously in a good mood.’

Lucius joined her on the bed, his lips finding hers for a tender yet passionate kiss as his hands slid under the covers, stroking her lovely soft body. This was something he never got tired of, however many times he did it. Even the first time they had made love on the day they had finally consummated their union, something that neither of them had done all that willingly, he had been struck by how soft Julia’s skin was and how much he enjoyed touching her.

He pulled at the covers, his lips following his fingers down her body, tongue licking around the stiffening buds of her nipples. He always enjoyed playing with them, too, especially when it made her moan as it was doing now.

‘Happy anniversary, darling,’ he whispered as his tongue delved lower, ready to move onto the next stage.

But at his words he felt Julia stiffen slightly. He looked up from what he was doing. Her smile was gone, replaced by a look of misery that she quickly tried to shift as she realised he was looking at her. His heart sank a little. Inadvertently he had ruined her good mood and he knew exactly why. It was so frustrating that today, when they should be celebrating their wedding anniversary, Julia was instead, panicking that the Ministry of Magic was going to end their marriage.

He had tried so hard to convince her that it wasn’t going to happen, that it was just paranoia on her part, but nothing he said or did made any difference. He just hoped that once the day was over and she saw what he had arranged for her, the worry that had brought his beautiful wife so close to depression would lift and they could start on the next chapter of their life together, no longer worried about the Ministry or what it thought.

There was little point in continuing with the seduction for the moment as Julia’s mind was no longer on abandoning herself to him, but he was sure he could fix that. He moved back to kiss her lips again, his hand stroking her face, then he left the bed and made his way rapidly across the room to his wardrobe. He opened the door, looked inside, and grabbed the box he had stored in there previously, closing the door once more before heading back towards the bed. He sat down and looked lovingly at Julia as he offered her the box.

‘Happy anniversary, my love,’ Lucius said sincerely. ‘I got this for you.’ Julia looked at the box for a moment without saying anything. ‘Well, take it,’ Lucius urged. He smiled at her again.

Julia reached out to take the box. She was feeling tearful again. Partly it was because of the present Lucius had bought her as she hadn’t been expecting anything, but mainly it was because of the cold knot of fear that was filling her stomach with dread and making her feel sick. As much as she didn’t want it to be, today was the day her marriage was going to end. She had forgotten about that when she had woken as Lucius’ song had put the miserable knowledge out of her mind for a moment. But his reminding her about their anniversary had brought it all flooding back and she had to work hard to not just pull away from him and burst into tears.

She looked down at the box she was holding, then back up at Lucius. He was watching her expectantly, a look of delight on his face. Whatever the present was, he was pleased by what he had bought her and he thought she would be, too. She slowly unwrapped the gift then lifted the lid of the small box, her breath exhaling loudly and her heart fluttering as she looked at the exquisite item lying on the bed of black velvet. She reached into the box and pulled it out, looking at it with wonder.

‘I thought it was about time you had a proper wedding ring, not that crappy thing the Ministry gave you,’ Lucius said gently as Julia turned the beautiful gold band in her fingers. ‘I should have given it to you before really, but it seemed a bit more romantic to wait for today.’

Julia didn’t know what to say. There was a lump in her throat and tears in her eyes. The gift was perfect . . . but it was also a complete waste. After today . . . .

‘Here,’ Lucius said excitedly, taking the ring from her as he broke her out of her reverie. ‘It’s engraved inside.’ He showed her the inscription within: their initials followed by the date of their wedding and the words _hearts entwined_ _forever_ in a flowing script bookended by hearts filling out the rest of the ring.

He took hold of Julia’s hand and gently removed the dull silver ring that had been there for the previous two years from her finger and placed the new ring onto it, then kissed her hand.

‘I love you, Julia,’ Lucius told her honestly. ‘Thank you for making me happier than I ever imagined I could be.’

He kissed her before she had a chance to respond and pushed her down beneath him once again, knowing this time he would be more successful with his seduction. He could feel Julia’s heart beating faster than normal and her sighs of pleasure as his fingers trailed down between her legs, stroking her as his mouth found a stiff nipple once more. Now he had taken her mind off the Ministry it was time to make sure the thought didn’t return, and he knew exactly what to do.

Slowly he kissed his way down her body, enjoying the warmth and feel of her skin, happier still once he reached the soft, wet area between her legs. His tongue circled the already stiffening bud of her clit with a sigh that matched the one Julia made. Lower still he went, teasing and licking, enjoying hearing the noises he was eliciting from his wife.

It didn’t take much before her sighs turned to something louder as she writhed beneath him, crying out as she climaxed. And then he was inside her, filling her wonderful body with his hardness and enjoying, as he always did, the feel of her wrapped around him, slick and warm and oh so soft.

He gasped as her hands raked down his back, pulling him to her as they moved against each other in perfect rhythm, moving the route they had travelled together so many times before. By the time he too had climaxed, they both bore the marks of their lovemaking, the love bites that both inflicted upon each other so easily bruising their pale skin.

‘I should get up,’ Julia said, sounding as if it was the last thing in the world she wanted to do, once she had finally recovered enough to talk.

Lucius looked lazily at the clock. ‘The house-elves will be bringing us breakfast in bed shortly, so I wouldn’t bother just yet.’ He leant over and kissed her tenderly, ‘Anyway, why so eager to get away from me?’

Julia stroked his face, pushing his hair off it. ‘Not eager to get away, I just have work to do . . . unfortunately.’

‘Not today, you don’t,’ Lucius told her. ‘It’s our anniversary and we are not spending it working. I’ve got far better things planned.’         

He had just pulled her to him for another kiss when the house-elves appeared with their breakfast trays, cutting short the romantic interlude. Julia looked at the specially prepared tray containing all her favourite foods and a wave of love for Lucius rushed through her, rapidly followed by one of sadness at what she was still sure was to come.

She looked down at her hand as she ate. The ring was beautiful, a truly romantic gift, and Lucius had finally told her that he loved her, something she had never really expected to hear from his lips. Perhaps she was being overly pessimistic about the Ministry of Magic. Whatever the case, there was no point in worrying about it for the time being. Lucius obviously intended to make their day special and Julia had no intention of ruining it with her depressing thoughts. 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lucius had left Julia in the bedroom putting on her makeup, knowing that if he stayed they would probably end up back in bed rather than going out as he had planned. He intended to take Julia shopping after which they were going to be meeting Draco and Ginny for lunch in Diagon Alley, followed by a leisurely afternoon during which he was hoping some more lovemaking would feature before they went out to dinner at the Black Dragon, one of the most exclusive wizarding restaurants in the country.

He glanced briefly at the pile of letters that had been left on his desk. There wasn’t anything that couldn’t wait until tomorrow although while he was waiting for Julia to get ready he might as well open them. He swung into his chair and picked up the top envelope, sliding his finger under the seal to open it. He pulled out and scanned the letter before discarding it. It was a pointless circular. The second turned out to be a bill, and that too was discarded without much interest. He looked at the third letter rather more carefully. It was a plain envelope and he had no idea who it was from. He turned it over and felt a sudden lump of ice in his stomach as he recognised the Ministry of Magic seal. He dropped the envelope back onto the table as if it had burnt him.

For a moment Lucius thought about not opening it, throwing it into the fire to destroy it or just leaving it until tomorrow, but now he had seen it he knew he had to open it. It was ridiculous, but Julia’s stupid paranoia had somehow infected him, if he didn’t find out what the letter contained it would worry away at him all day and completely ruin the celebrations he had planned. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. This day was for Julia — for him to finally show her just how much he appreciated and loved her — and he wasn’t about to let the blasted Ministry of Magic ruin it. Taking a deep breath, he opened the envelope and pulled out the folded parchment.

When Julia came to find him fifteen minutes later she encountered a Lucius that she hadn’t seen for many months. He was cold, imperious and, she could tell, absolutely furious. She had no idea what had happened or whether she had done something to cause his transformation, but the re-emergence of old Lucius put that knot of fear back into her stomach.

‘So, what have you got planned for us for today?’ she asked, trying to keep her voice light and unconcerned, pretending she hadn’t spotted Lucius’ change in mood. ‘Or is it a surprise?’

For a few seconds Lucius didn’t respond, still trying to quell the rage within him, but then he managed to say, ‘We’re meeting Draco and Ginny for lunch.’

Julia gave a weak smile. ‘That’s nice. It will be good to see them.’ She could still feel the knot, heavy in her stomach, and wished Lucius would say something . . . anything . . . that would make the fear dissipate.

‘We have to visit the Ministry of Magic before we meet them.’ Lucius’ voice was calm and controlled, showing no sign of emotion.

Julia felt her stomach lurch. ‘Oh.’ She sounded upset.

Lucius stood up and moved around the desk to take her in his arms, holding her tightly. He kissed her hair.

‘Don’t worry, Julia, I’m not going to let them part us,’ Lucius told her, his voice more tender now. ‘It’s just a standard appointment to discuss what happens now the two years is up. I expect they’ll remind us that we can kill each other now.’ He gave her a grin, but when he realised that Julia wasn’t in the mood to be light-hearted he added, ‘I’m sure the Ministry will be perfectly reasonable about all this once we talk to them, darling. But we do need to get it sorted so it’s not hanging over us and as we’re heading that way anyway, we might as well get it out of the way sooner rather than later.’

Julia wasn’t entirely sure she agreed with Lucius that the Ministry would be so helpful, but he was so sure he could sort it out and he was right that it would be like a spectre hanging over them and would definitely ruin their day, so she plastered a smile on her face and gave him a squeeze.

‘You’re right, we might as well go and get it out the way,’ she agreed, trying to sound chipper. ‘Then we won’t have to worry about it anymore.’

Lucius pulled her to him for a deep, sweet kiss before releasing her and taking her hand.

‘It’s going to be all right,’ he promised with a smile, but as soon as she looked away the smile was gone to be replaced once more by the icy cold look.


	5. Chapter 5

‘I’m sorry, Mr Malfoy, but there’s absolutely nothing I can do.’ The official stared at Lucius, neither looking nor sounding sympathetic.

‘Well, then I suggest you find someone who can,’ Lucius replied, his voice as cold as steel. ‘I refuse to accept that nothing can be done. Julia and I love each other and have absolutely no intention of annulling our marriage.’

The official sighed loudly. ‘As I’ve told you, Mr—’

‘And as I’ve told you, Mr . . . whatever your name is—’ Lucius talked abruptly across the official, cutting him off — ‘I’m not interested in what you __think__ should be happening. Julia and I will remain married and if you can’t arrange that then you need to go and find someone who can.’

Lucius glared at the balding man sitting behind the desk who stared back for a moment, then rubbed his eyes under the little round glasses he was wearing.    

‘Very well,’ the official said resignedly, standing up as he spoke. ‘If you won’t listen to me I shall go and find someone else who can explain it to you. Perhaps you’ll listen to them. Excuse me.’ He came out from behind the desk and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Julia looked worriedly at Lucius. ‘I told you they wouldn’t let us stay together,’ she said miserably.

She had been trying not to break down, not wanting to embarrass either herself or Lucius in front of the official but it was getting harder to keep control. Instead of being helpful as Lucius had predicted, the official they had talked to regarding their marriage had been forthright and unsympathetic and she was beginning to fear the worst. Lucius could shout at the man as much as he liked but it didn’t change what he was going to say.

Lucius went to Julia and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly as he whispered soothing words. He knew she was having trouble holding it together as the nightmare scenario she had been worried about for so long now actually appeared to be coming true. He couldn’t believe the Ministry were being so obstructive about this. Surely they wanted people to be together who loved each other, didn’t they?  

‘I’m sure we can sort this out,’ he told her. ‘Just wait until his boss arrives. I bet he’ll be more sympathetic. We’ve obviously just got a jobsworth here.’

He could feel Julia shaking her head as he held her to him and a fresh wave of anger surged through his entire being. He wished he could do something to make her feel better but there was nothing and it made him feel impotent, which in turn made him feel even angrier.

A few minutes later the door opened and the small bald man returned, bringing with him a lanky man with a shock of straw-coloured hair and wearing an emerald green robe. The man walked towards Lucius and Julia, studying them appraisingly.

‘My name is Duggold Leach,’ the tall man said as Julia and Lucius parted and retook their seats. His voice was deep and melodious. ‘Bagnold here,’ he indicated the bald man, ‘tells me that there’s a problem to do with your bonding. So what seems to be the issue?’

Lucius stared back at the newcomer for a moment, then said in his most pleasant voice, ‘Mr . . . Bagnold told us that our marriage was to be annulled, even though neither Julia nor myself have any interest in ending our marriage. I’m sure your records show that we were . . . reluctant to marry initially, and I understand that it may have seemed as if we were only interested in making it to this two-year anniversary so we could separate, but nothing could be further from the truth. Julia and I have created a fulfilling and loving relationship and fully intend that to continue. We are a success story for you, a good advertisement for your bonding policies, so I fail to understand why you are trying to separate us. Unfortunately, your man there,’ he indicated Bagnold, ‘refused to listen to reason. We weren’t happy with his attitude and so asked for someone more senior who would be more sensible about this.’

Leach listened carefully to Lucius, nodding his head to show he understood what Lucius was saying. Once he was sure Lucius had finished speaking he looked carefully at both the blond man and Julia before responding.

‘The problem is, Mr Malfoy, that your bonding hasn’t been the success the Ministry hoped for, has it?’ he said, sounding sympathetic. ‘You were made aware before the ceremony took place that if you hadn’t produced a child within the two years your bonding would be annulled. You both agreed to this when you accepted the contract and are therefore bound by its terms. I’m afraid there is nothing that can be done. You will be given the chance to bond with new partners, ones who might be more favourable matches for you.’

‘This is bloody ridiculous,’ Lucius shouted, his temper now completely frayed and threatening to burst loose. ‘We don’t want other partners! Julia and I are a perfect match for each other whether we’ve had a baby or not. We have no intention of ending our marriage, and nothing the bloody Ministry of Magic can say will change that.’

Leach looked unhappily at Lucius. ‘I’m sorry to hear you say that, Mr Malfoy. You see, your bonding has already been annulled as of first thing this morning. You and Miss Carlisle are no longer “married”, as you put it. Your contract with each other is at an end.’ He turned to look at Julia. ‘You may leave, Miss Carlisle. As it is likely that you are unable to bear children you are no longer required or eligible to be paired and your presence is no longer needed at the Ministry of Magic. I wish you every success for your future.’

Julia couldn’t stop the sob that escaped her lips at the official’s cruel words, her hands rising shakily to cover her mouth. She looked at Lucius, who looked as if he was about to hit Leach.

‘How dare you talk to my wife like that,’ Lucius raged furiously. ‘Apologise immediately. And if you have to address her you will refer to her as Mrs Malfoy, not Miss Carlisle.’

Leach stared at Lucius for a moment before turning to Julia and saying somewhat apologetically, ‘I apologise if I upset you, Miss Carlisle. Obviously, I didn’t mean to do that.’ He turned back to Lucius. ‘However, I’m afraid it doesn’t change the facts. Your bonding has been annulled — you are no longer married.’

‘That is unacceptable,’ Lucius stated firmly. ‘You need to reverse the annulment immediately.’      

Leach sighed. ‘It isn’t as easy as that, Mr Malfoy. You have to remember . . . .’

Lucius could see that Julia wasn’t getting any less upset and he knew that part of her distress would be from breaking down in public. She didn’t even like to get upset in front of him when they were on their own, so this was a very difficult situation for her. With a potentially big fight ahead things would only get more distressing and Lucius wanted to spare her that. Ignoring what the official was saying, he took her hand comfortingly and squeezed it gently.

‘Look, Julia, darling, there’s no point in us both staying here to argue with these idiots. Why don’t you wait outside for me? Ginny should be arriving shortly. I told Draco we would meet them here. You can go and wait for her while I sort out this stupid mess.’ He smiled at her reassuringly.

‘But if I go . . .’ Julia began, her voice sounding quavery as if trying to hold back tears.

‘I can sort this out for both of us,’ Lucius promised. ‘I love you, Julia, and nothing the stupid Ministry tries to do will ever change that. You don’t need to stay in here.’ He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it gently.

Julia was worried about leaving, especially after being rejected so abruptly by Duggold Leach, but at the same time she was having trouble retaining her dignity when she couldn’t stop the tears, which were threatening to turn into great wracking sobs, and that would be even more embarrassing. Lucius was giving her the opportunity to bow out gracefully and go and get herself under control while he tried to sort out the Ministry officials.

She had no doubt things were about to get nasty, and Lucius obviously didn’t want her to see that side of him in action. She gave Lucius a small, watery smile as she squeezed his hand in return and nodded her head. She wasn’t sure she could speak without wailing.

‘I’ll be out soon,’ Lucius promised as Julia stood up. He was still holding her hand and pulled her towards him, and she bent a little so he could kiss her. ‘I love you,’ he told her honestly once the kiss had finished.

‘I love you, too,’ Julia just about managed to say.

Now that she had been released Julia needed to get out — out of this office which held the bad news she had expected for so long, and out of the building which suddenly seemed cloying and claustrophobic. She felt the need for some fresh air. Looking one last time at Lucius, she headed for the door.

First, she needed to find a bathroom so she could stop the tears, or more likely let them out. She needed release from the pain she was feeling and had a nasty suspicion that only a long, hard cry would help her do that. She wondered whether she should attempt to find Draco but she had no idea where his office was, and although she could have asked she didn’t feel it fair to bother him.

Lucius had said Ginny would be arriving shortly, so once Julia had calmed herself down she would go and wait for her on the steps of the employee’s entrance to the Ministry of Magic. Hopefully, by the time Lucius and Draco joined them everything would be sorted and she and Lucius could enjoy the rest of their wedding anniversary.

‘I’m glad you finally saw sense and got Miss Carlisle to leave,’ Leach said once Julia had closed the door behind her. He took a seat behind the desk that now separated him from Lucius. ‘Now we can get on with—’

‘The only reason I let Julia go, Leach, was because I didn’t want to give you a chance to upset her further with any more of your disgusting comments,’ Lucius told him coldly. He could feel his wand in his pocket and his fingers itched to grab it and hex the man in front of him, but he knew that wouldn’t help to get his marriage reinstated. He tapped his right foot on the floor impatiently. ‘Now, I’m asking you one more time to revoke the annulment.’

Leach looked sympathetic once more, which Lucius found infuriating. ‘I’m sorry that you became so attached to Miss Carlisle — although she is an attractive woman, so I can understand why you did. But it’s clear she’s not a suitable match for you, not when the whole intention of the bonding is so that strong magical children can be produced.’

‘Hadn’t it occurred to you that we might not want to have children?’ Lucius asked belligerently. ‘I already have a son old enough to bear children of his own and Julia has never wanted to have a child. There’s no reason we should be forced into producing a family we don’t want just to please the Ministry of Magic.’

‘But that is the whole point of the bonding law, Mr Malfoy,’ Leach said patiently, sounding as if he was explaining something to a five-year-old. ‘And once again I would like to remind you that you both agreed to the terms at the time of the ceremony.’

Lucius sighed. ‘Of course we did; we didn’t have any choice, did we? But things have changed since we were first married. We’ve grown to love each other and don’t want to be separated just because we don’t want children. If you can’t revoke the annulment you could just take us off your list or whatever and let us go and get married again elsewhere. I’m sure you could do that, couldn’t you?’

Leach stared at Lucius for several long seconds, seemingly debating what to say.   

‘You cannot be removed from the list whilst you remain eligible to be paired, Mr Malfoy. We can’t have a special law for you and one for everyone else. And as you are still eligible we will be conducting your bonding ceremony as soon as Mr Bagnold returns with your new partner.’

Lucius looked incredulously at Leach. ‘After everything I’ve just told you, you’re not willing to listen to reason? Well, I’m not getting bonded to anyone else — I refuse. Especially not today. It’s my wedding anniversary.’

Leach’s look of sympathy had gone, to be replaced by a much harder look. ‘That is, of course, entirely your choice, Mr Malfoy. However, should you reject the bonding you will be subject to the same condition as everyone else — your wand will be taken from you and destroyed and you will be exiled from the wizarding world for the rest of your life.’

At the mention of his wand, Lucius’ fingers closed around it; he was now even more desperate to use it on the man who was in the process of destroying his and Julia’s lives. But ending up in Azkaban wasn’t going to make things any better, even if it might give him a sense of satisfaction for a moment or so. He had no choice. He had to do the one thing that, after Voldemort, he had sworn to himself he would never do to any man again.

‘Please,’ he begged, his voice humble now. ‘Please reconsider this decision, Mr Leach. I know you think you’re trying to do what’s best for the wizarding world. But separating me and Julia really isn’t it. You’re going to make three people very unhappy if you insist on continuing.’

There was a knock on the door. Leach looked towards it and said ‘Enter,’ then looked back at Lucius, the sympathy once again on his face. ‘I really am sorry about this, Mr Malfoy,’ he said, sounding as if he was. ‘But I’m afraid there’s absolutely nothing I can do.’

‘But you could give us another two years,’ Lucius said desperately, trying to ignore the people who had just entered the room. ‘Give us another chance to produce a child.’

Duggold Leach looked appraisingly at Lucius for a moment, then shook his head. ‘I think we both know that you won’t produce a child even if we were to give you the extra time, Mr Malfoy. The Ministry believes that Miss Carlisle is unable to bear children and she has therefore been removed from the list of potential partners and is no longer eligible to be paired with you or, indeed, with anyone. This being the case, a new partner has been selected for you who is more likely to be fertile.’ He indicated the woman who had just entered the room with Mr Bagnold. ‘I know this is disappointing news for you, but we all have to stick to the letter of the law, I’m afraid.’

At first, Lucius refused to look. His heart was breaking, slowly being ripped apart, and it hurt like hell. He had never felt this way before. Previous relationships — and there had been plenty over the years — had always been on his terms; and when they ended, as they all had eventually, it had generally been at his instigation and he had felt nothing but relief.

Even his separation and divorce from Narcissa had engendered little personal feeling. He hadn’t cared enough about her to worry when she filed for divorce. The ensuing case, during which she had accused him of all manner of things, most of which were true, had done nothing but annoy him, although the notoriety had gained him a whole new cadre of women to choose from, which had been useful.

But over the two years he and Julia had been together she had unleashed in him something he had never felt before. Without even trying she had managed to calm him, turning him from a self-serving, hedonistic playboy into someone better. Thanks to her he had become a nicer, far less selfish person. He adored her . . . no, he loved her with all his heart, and now they were to be parted that heart was breaking, possibly irreparably.

Lucius had done everything he could think of to try to keep them together except give up his wand and his life in the wizarding world — that he could never do. While it was true that he had improved, he still harboured some very deep-seated prejudices against Muggles, and he really couldn’t face having to live amongst them for the rest of what would be a very long life, not even for Julia.

Part of him felt guilty about this, which was a very weird feeling as he hardly ever felt guilt — yet another thing Julia had brought out in him. But at the end of the day he was a Pure-blood, and regardless of his feelings for the beautiful woman who was and as far as he was concerned would always be his wife, he would not willingly give up his wand, however bad the alternative may be.

He turned his head to look at the newcomer and felt his painful heart sink even further.        

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

As Julia had anticipated, the tears had begun in earnest the minute she walked through the door of the bathroom, unable to hold them inside any longer. She was just glad she was the only one in there otherwise she would have died of shame as she was completely unable to stop the loud wails that emitted from her. It had taken five minutes of this loud keening and another five of normal sobs, locked away in one of the cubicles so no one could see her if they came in, before she calmed down enough to look at herself in the mirror.

She was a mess of panda-eyes and streaky makeup. Julia ran the tap and washed her face as best she could, then dug into her handbag to retrieve her makeup bag. She spent another ten minutes redoing her face, then, once she felt slightly more assured that she looked okay, she left, heading for the lift.

Julia wondered how Lucius was getting on. Had he managed to convince Leach that the annulment should be revoked? She still wasn’t confident, but if anyone could persuade him it would be Lucius. She got into the lift, glancing briefly at the other occupants then at the numbers over the door. She really wanted to leave the building now. She was getting a stress headache and could definitely do with some fresh air. She looked at her watch. It was ten past twelve. She had no idea what time Ginny was supposed to arrive but she didn’t want to stay in the building any longer.

Her heart gave a small leap of relief as the lift finally reached its destination and the doors opened. She walked rapidly across the atrium and out the main door, making an effort to smile pleasantly at the guards as she left. Once outside, she took a deep breath of the fresh September air then walked down the stairs, looking left and right down the small road as she did in case she could see Ginny coming. Fortunately, the weather was still quite warm and there wasn’t much of a breeze so she could wait here without getting cold.

After several minutes of loitering, Julia sat down on one of the steps. She tried not to think about Lucius and what was happening back in the office, as every time she did she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and she was desperate not to cry again. She wished he was here with her, telling her that everything had been sorted and that they were still married.

Julia breathed deeply. She had no idea what she was going to do if the Ministry refused to revoke the annulment. That was just unthinkable, and surely they wouldn’t ruin her and Lucius’ lives like that, would they? The Ministry of Magic weren’t monsters, they were just trying to provide a better future for the wizarding world and the officials they had encountered were just trying to stick to the rules that had been laid down. But that didn’t mean the rules couldn’t be broken or circumvented.

She had completely retreated into her thoughts when Ginny arrived at just gone twelve fifteen. Ginny was a little confused as to why Julia was sitting on the steps on her own, but she assumed Lucius must have gone to see Draco and Julia had decided to stay behind in the pleasant autumn sunshine. She walked over to the daydreaming woman and tapped her on her shoulder.

‘Sickle for ‘em?’

Julia looked up at Ginny in surprise, then quickly tried to smooth her face in case it showed the misery she was currently feeling. She gave a small smile.

‘Oh, hi, Ginny. I’d drifted miles away while I was waiting for you . . . just daydreaming.’

Ginny looked at Julia carefully as the woman stood up, straightening and dusting down the back of her skirt. There was definitely something wrong, but she couldn’t work out what. Had Julia and Lucius had an argument? It wouldn’t be the first time, but it would be a shame if they let it spoil their wedding anniversary. She and Draco would have to try and jolly them out of whatever had caused the argument and make them remember they were supposed to be celebrating their love for each other.

‘Is Lucius in there with Draco?’ Ginny asked. She looked at her watch. ‘They should be down in a minute, surely? Lucius said quarter past and it’s almost twenty-five past now.’

‘He might be now,’ Julia said quietly. ‘But he was in the bonding office. We received a letter for an appointment with them this morning.’

Ginny grinned. ‘They wanted to congratulate you on managing to get through two whole years without killing each other, eh?’ she asked, but her smile fell away when she saw the look on Julia’s face.

‘No, they wanted to tell us our marriage had been annulled,’ Julia replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking and stop the tears that were instantly back in her eyes.

‘They did what?’ Ginny asked. She gaped in astonishment at Julia. ‘Why the hell—’

‘Hullo, ladies, not been waiting too long, I hope? Where’s Father?’ Draco cut Ginny off as he walked down the steps towards them, smiling brightly. He reached their side and gave Ginny a brief but affectionate kiss, then turned to Julia, pulling her into a hug as he kissed her cheek. Before Ginny could signal to him, he continued, ‘Happy anniversary, Julia. Can you believe it’s been two years already?’

He felt the woman stiffen in his grasp and released her, pulling back to see what he had said wrong. Julia was desperately trying to calm herself although her heart was racing and her stomach was doing back-flips. Behind her, Draco could see Ginny desperately shaking her head.

‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, suddenly much more serious as a shiver of worry ran down his spine. ‘Has something happened?’

Julia looked directly at Draco. ‘Did Lucius tell you why we had to come here this morning?’

Draco shrugged. ‘He said you had an appointment to discuss how the bonding was going. It’s a standard thing, I think. They ask you how it’s all going then remind you not to kill each other, because you can now, as the charm has been removed. It’s nothing serious, though, just a legal requirement.’

‘Probably not, if you’ve done as the Ministry expected and had children,’ Julia replied more bitterly than she meant to. ‘But as your father and I haven’t . . . .’ She let the words drop.

‘They annulled the marriage,’ Ginny added quietly. She was stroking Julia’s arm comfortingly.

‘What do you mean, they annulled it?’ Draco asked, looking confused. ‘They can’t just do that arbitrarily, surely?’

Julia gave a despondent shrug. ‘Under the terms of the contract which were read out to us at the bonding ceremony, we agreed to have a child within two years or our marriage would be annulled and we would be re-partnered with other, “more suitable” people.’ She could feel a tear running down her cheek and used her finger to brush it away, but there was already another falling. ‘Of course, at the time that seemed brilliant as neither of us wanted to be with the other and we really did think we would want to part after two years. We never knew we would fall in love.’

‘But surely they must be sensitive to that,’ Draco said. ‘They must have loads of people who don’t want to be bonded but then fall in love during the two years.’

‘Yes, but they have children,’ Julia pointed out miserably.

‘I bet not all of them do,’ Draco retorted. ‘It’s not possible under the law of averages.’

‘In which case they receive the same treatment we have,’ Julia told him. ‘They told us the marriage had already been annulled. It was done automatically and there was nothing we could do about it.’

‘So where’s my father now?’ Draco asked, the cold feeling now spreading throughout his entire body. He knew what his father could be like when annoyed, and he would surely be absolutely furious at what the Ministry had done.

‘They told me I could leave, that I was no longer required as I was obviously barren.’ Julia’s voice broke as she spoke. Ginny rushed to hug her, wanting to comfort Julia for the callous and unthinking treatment she had received at the hands of the Ministry. ‘I think they intend to re-bond Lucius.’ She gazed balefully at Draco. ‘I have to admit I was getting quite upset, so Lucius told me to come and wait for you out here while he tried to talk some sense into them. I’ve never seen him so angry . . . but I don’t think it will do any good.’

Draco blew on his steepled fingers, trying to decide what to do. There hadn’t been an alarm set off, so his father hadn’t done anything too bad . . . yet. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. And Julia definitely didn’t need her husband ending up in Azkaban for injuring — or worse — a Ministry official. At least Ginny was comforting Julia and calming her down, something Ginny was very good at. She took after her mother like that.

‘You two wait here,’ Draco said gently. ‘I’ll go and see what’s going on and try to get Father to leave without causing mayhem. Hopefully, this can be sorted without anyone being seriously injured.’

He turned to walk up the steps when Lucius came running through the doors and down the steps towards them. He looked extremely harassed. Ginny let go of Julia as Lucius pulled his wife into his arms, hugging her to his chest as tightly as he had ever done.

‘I’m so sorry, my darling,’ he whispered into her hair. ‘I really did try to stop it.’ His voice was louder now and sounded to Julia as if his heart was breaking. ‘I love you so much, Julia, but there was nothing I could do.’

‘At least you tried,’ Julia said, pulling away from him a little so she could look at him. ‘I knew it was too good to be true that we could actually be in love and live happily together.’ She stroked his face gently. ‘I love you, too . . . so much.’

And then they were kissing, possibly a little too passionately for the steps of the Ministry of Magic, in full view of everyone including Lucius’ son, but at that moment neither of them cared. Each needed to show the other how much they were loved, and nothing else mattered.

‘Okay, so they’ve annulled the marriage,’ Draco said loudly, trying not to look at the kissing couple. ‘But surely you can just go and get married again somewhere else, can’t you? You don’t have to be bonded by the Ministry, not if you’re that much in love.’ He looked slightly distastefully at the still kissing pair. ‘Which you obviously are.’

Lucius ended the kiss, although he didn’t release Julia as he looked at Draco, shaking his head. ‘We can’t,’ he said morosely.

Julia let go of Lucius, realising what he was saying at exactly the same moment as a voice reached them, high and shrill, followed swiftly by the body of the person speaking.

‘There you are, Lucius. Why did you run off?’ The woman looked at Lucius where he was still trying to hold on to Julia and added, ‘Who the hell’s that?’

‘We could ask the same of you,’ Ginny said angrily.

‘I’m his wife,’ the woman said smugly. She gave Ginny a disdainful look and added, ‘And you are?’

Julia couldn’t help but gasp as the woman spoke. She shook her head and moved away from Lucius, even as he tried desperately to hold onto her.

‘Julia . . . please,’ Lucius moaned unhappily.

Julia gazed at him, her eyes showing the betrayal he had inflicted. She blinked to stop the tears, but couldn’t do anything to halt the flow.

‘You re-bonded,’ she whispered.

‘I’m Draco Malfoy . . . Lucius’ son,’ Draco told the woman coldly. ‘And this is my fiancée, Ginny,’ he said as he indicated her. ‘What’s this about you being my father’s wife? Julia is my father’s wife.’ He pointed at Julia who hadn’t stopped gazing at Lucius.

‘Not anymore, love,’ the woman said. ‘Me and your father have just got bonded, haven’t we, Lucius?’ She looked slyly at the shocked group and winked. ‘Didn’t you tell your ex-wife you were getting re-married, you naughty boy?’ She grinned then added, ‘my name’s Crystal . . . Crystal Lufkin . . . well, Crystal Malfoy now.’

Julia still hadn’t looked at Crystal; her focus was completely on Lucius.

‘You re-bonded,’ she repeated, her voice louder and colder.

Lucius stared back at her, his face a mask of misery. ‘I didn’t have any choice, Julia.’

Julia gave a bitter laugh. ‘Didn’t have any choice . . . right.’

‘What did you expect me to do?’ Lucius asked, his own voice stiffer now. ‘I wasn’t willing to give up my place in the wizarding world. I have no desire to live in the Muggle world for the rest of my life — surely you couldn’t really expect me to do that.’

 ‘I understand,’ Julia said. Her voice sounded calmer now she had managed to rein in her emotions, although she was aware she was still crying. ‘I wouldn’t expect you to—’ She broke off, unable to say anything more.

‘This doesn’t change how I feel about you,’ Lucius told her. ‘I still love you. Come home with me. Nothing has to change.’

Julia gave another laugh, this one slightly less bitter. ‘Where am I going to stay, Lucius?’

‘You know where,’ Lucius replied gently, catching hold of her hand. ‘I’m not sleeping with her . . . you’re my wife, whatever the Ministry says.’

‘And where’s she going to sleep, in my old rooms?’ Julia asked, shaking her head. ‘She’s your wife now, Lucius. I can’t continue to live with you. Not now.’

‘Of course you can,’ Lucius pleaded. ‘If you feel uncomfortable about sharing my bed then you can stay in your old rooms . . . you like them. There are plenty of rooms in Malfoy Manor where I can put her up out of our way; then you can stay there quite happily, too.’

Julia laughed again at the words ‘quite happily’. She didn’t think she was ever going to be happy again. And there was no way she was staying at Malfoy Manor, not now. 

‘I’m sure it’s all very nice catching up and all that, but can we go now, Lucius? I’m bored standing here and I can’t wait to see my new home. I’m sure it will be very grand. I mean, you are rich, aren’t you?’ Crystal’s shrill voice cut through the look Lucius and Julia were giving each other.

Needing to be away from him, Julia finally turned to look at Lucius’ new wife. She was young, extremely young, and very beautiful, her lean body and long legs accentuated by the tight mini-dress she wore teamed with lace tights and long, high-heeled boots. She instantly made Julia feel fat, frumpy, and decidedly middle-aged.

She was everything Lucius definitely didn’t need, but she exuded an air of sexuality that Julia was sure he would find impossible to resist. Tall, thin and almost as blond as Lucius and Draco, she could already have been a Malfoy. She could hear Draco talking to the girl, asking her how old she was. She couldn’t stop the small bitter sound that escaped her lips as she thought of Lucius and the beautiful girl together.

‘ _ _You are__ my wife,’ Lucius said once again, drawing her attention back to him.

Julia shook her head sadly. ‘Not for the next two years, and that’s assuming you don’t have children.’

Lucius looked horrified. ‘I’m not having children with her,’ he assured Julia. ‘I want this over __now__. Two years can’t come soon enough.’

‘But it won’t matter,’ Julia pointed out quietly. ‘If they annul your current marriage they’ll just bond you with someone else, again and again until you finally breed with one of them. You and I are finished.’

‘Don’t say that,’ Lucius said angrily. ‘You will always be my wife, Julia.’ He still had hold of her hand and he lifted it to show her the wedding ring he had given her that morning. ‘You — not her or anyone else the bloody Ministry deems suitable — only you.’

Julia pulled her hand away. ‘Thank you for reminding me,’ she said as she pulled the ring from her finger. ‘Give me an hour. I’ll be gone in an hour.’         

Lucius looked devastated as she threw the ring at him.

‘There’s no point in me keeping it,’ she said unhappily, trying to ignore the tearing in her heart as she did it. Then before Lucius could react she turned and ran down the rest of the steps and off down the road.

Lucius moved just a few seconds too late. Draco grabbed his arm, holding him back.

‘Let her go,’ Draco said quietly. He glanced rapidly at Ginny, who nodded and took off after Julia.

‘I don’t want to lose her,’ Lucius said his voice breaking. ‘I love her so much, Draco. I just don’t want to let her go.’

‘I know you do, Father,’ Draco replied soothingly. He pulled Lucius into a hug. ‘But you can’t keep her at Malfoy Manor, you know. You’re not being fair to Julia, expecting that of her. Not when you’ve got—’ he broke off for a moment to look disgustedly at the girl who was even younger than himself— ‘Crystal. You chose to bond with her; now you’ll have to accept the consequences.’

‘You think I should have given up my wand?’ Lucius asked bitterly.

Draco sighed. ‘No. I don’t think you had any choice. But it’s not fair of you to expect Julia to stay with you when you’ve re-married. You can’t just ignore Crystal. You know that. There are consequences.’

‘But I want to see Julia,’ Lucius whined miserably.

‘But she doesn’t want to see you at the moment and you can hardly blame her for that,’ Draco replied bluntly. ‘Ginny has gone to help her. Give her the hour she asked for. It’s the best thing you can do for her now.’

Lucius laughed bitterly. ‘I gave her an hour when she married me,’ he said, remembering that first day. ‘I remember what her ex was like when I turned up to take her away. I couldn’t understand it at the time. I mean, she was attractive enough, but nothing special, and she was Muggle-born — not what I wanted at all.’ He looked at his son. ‘Do you know what? I now know exactly how the other bloke felt. I really don’t want her to go.’

‘But she has to, you know that really,’ Draco told him.

Lucius nodded his head sadly. He let go of Draco and pulled his wand from his pocket, using it to retrieve the ring which had fallen to the floor. He gazed at it unhappily for a moment, then placed it safely in the inside pocket of his jacket. Once that was done he looked over at Crystal, his heart sinking at the sight of the young woman. She was too young to be his wife, too young to be anyone’s wife really, yet he was going to be stuck with her for the next two years. And unless he could get Julia to talk to him those two years were going to be the longest and most miserable he had ever spent.

‘Well, I suppose we should go and eat or something to pass the time until we can go back to the manor,’ he said unenthusiastically.

Crystal looked as if she was about to protest, but Lucius stifled the incipient comment with a glare.


	6. Chapter 6

Julia ran, fleeing from Lucius and his betrayal. She ran without purpose, needing only to put distance between herself and the man who had just ruined her life. She knew she had hurt him, what she had told him had been designed to hurt, just as he had hurt her, and at the moment she couldn’t think straight enough to know or care whether what he had done had been done on purpose.

She stopped several roads away from the Ministry of Magic and pulled a tissue from her handbag, rapidly wiping the tears that were flowing freely down her face, even now worried about how she must appear to the few people who were walking down the road. Calmer now, she realised that while she didn’t want to go back there she needed to go home . . . no . . . go back to Malfoy Manor. She could no longer call the place home, not now that Lucius had left her for someone else, someone so much younger.

But as much as she didn’t want to return to the manor, didn’t want to see the place she would never again be able to call home, she knew she needed to get her belongings together. She had asked Lucius for an hour, the amount of time he had given her to end her old life and she knew he would grant her that much but not a minute longer. If she was still there once the hour was up she would have to face him and his new young bride and that she couldn’t cope with — not now . . . maybe not ever.

She started to walk again, looking for a suitable place to Apparate. Time was counting down and she needed to get packed and get out.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ginny was glad when Draco grabbed Lucius to stop him pursuing Julia. She could understand how he was feeling but she had more sympathy for the hurt woman. She knew Julia was feeling betrayed at what Lucius had done, even if he did have no choice, but his attempts to keep her living with him had been nothing but unthinking selfishness on his part, regardless of how much he loved her.

But he had at least given Julia an hour and Ginny was determined to make sure she made the time count. As upset as she was, Julia probably wasn’t thinking clearly but just wanted to be away from her ex-husband and his new, trashy young wife, and whether she meant to or not she would be wasting time.

Ginny had headed off in the same direction in which Julia had run but soon realised that trying to find her was pointless. She didn’t know where Julia had run to, but if she wanted to salvage anything of her old life to take with her she would need to go back home. Ginny ducked into the nearest alleyway and Apparated to Malfoy Manor.

She knocked on the door, her body twitching impatiently as she waited for a house-elf to answer. She was sure Julia would have come back here, needing to collect her personal belongings and get out before Lucius arrived back from the Ministry of Magic.

Thinking of Julia hurriedly packing up made Ginny wonder where she was going to go. From what the woman had told her in the conversations they’d had over the previous two years, she had been living with a boyfriend for years before her marriage to Lucius. It was unlikely that door would still be open to her after all this time. As far as Ginny was aware Julia had never spoken to her ex once she had moved in with Lucius. But did she have anywhere else to go?

Her Muggle parents lived abroad and it was possible that Julia would stay with them, but Ginny thought that was unlikely. Even putting aside the difficulties that getting to work would entail, she knew Julia was proud and probably wouldn’t want to admit to her parents what a mess her life was. Instead, she would try to make her own way, but then where would she live?

A house-elf opened the door and looked at Ginny with interest.

‘Is Julia here, Moki?’ Ginny asked.

The house-elf nodded. Ginny thought he looked a little worried. ‘Mistress Julia is here. However, she is most upset and does not wish to be disturbed.’

Ginny sighed as she entered the house. ‘I’m sure she’s extremely upset. The Ministry of Magic has just ended Lucius and Julia’s marriage without bothering to discover whether it was what they wanted. It’s important that she gets packed up and leaves within the next forty-five minutes, Moki. I’ve come to help her. Please tell me where she is.’

Moki looked worriedly at Ginny as if deciding whether telling the woman where Julia was would be disobeying a direct order, something he wasn’t allowed to do with his family.

Exasperated at waiting and aware that time was ticking away, Ginny said, ‘It’s all right, Moki, you won’t be disobeying if you tell me where she is. I’m Draco’s fiancée, so almost family anyway, and it’s important that I help her or she won’t leave before Lucius gets back to the house.’

The house-elf nodded. ‘I understand that, Mistress Ginny, but Master Lucius won’t want Mistress Julia to leave,’ he said quietly.

‘No, he won’t,’ agreed Ginny. ‘But she has to leave, Moki. Lucius has a new wife now. The Ministry made him re-marry after annulling his marriage to Julia so he will be bringing his new wife to live here. Julia can’t stay at Malfoy Manor any longer, not now.’

The house-elf looked extremely upset at this news. ‘The Ministry has done a bad thing,’ he said.

Ginny nodded. ‘You’re right, Moki, the Ministry has done an exceptionally bad thing. But neither Lucius nor Julia will be helped by her staying here now and she has very little time to get her belongings together. She was only given an hour. So please, tell me where she is so I can help her.’

The house-elf nodded. ‘Mistress Julia is in her rooms in the east wing. Shall Moki show you the way?’

‘It’s all right, Moki, I know the way. You might want to see if any of her belongings are anywhere else in the house, as she’s not got much time left to get packed up.’

‘Moki will instruct the other house-elves to help with the packing,’ Moki said, sounding distinctly unhappy. ‘The house-elves like Mistress Julia and will miss her,’ he added mournfully.

‘I’m sure she’ll miss you too,’ Ginny said gently. ‘Now I’d better go. Time is flying away and standing here isn’t going to help Julia get packed in time.’

She headed for the stairs as Moki made his way back towards the kitchen.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia had thrown herself onto her bed, unable to stop the tears that were beginning to seem never-ending, the depression she had been trying to keep in check for so long finally overwhelming her. She knew this wasn’t the most productive use of the small amount of time she had left before Lucius came back, bringing the child with him, but as her entire desire was to curl up into a tiny ball and retreat to bed never to be seen again, it wasn’t exactly a surprise that she was having difficulty getting motivated.

She was having trouble coming to terms with the fact that Lucius had re-bonded so quickly. She didn’t blame him for doing so, although a small part of her wished he had given up his wand for her, she would certainly have done so for him if the situation had been reversed. But she knew that given his Death Eater past it would have been a particularly difficult thing for him to do even if he did love her, which, given what had happened at the Ministry of Magic, she was currently finding impossible to believe.

Even though the small voice in her brain kept telling her that Lucius had no choice and the Ministry had forced the re-bonding on him, most of her couldn’t believe he hadn’t willingly entered into the union with the pretty young girl who was now his wife.

__How excited he must have been__ , she thought bitterly as she remembered the willowy young woman.

She bet Lucius couldn’t wait to get her into bed, so different from the way he had been with her during their first few months of marriage. She even began to wonder whether Lucius had purposely stopped her from getting pregnant to ensure that the annulment would occur, and whether he had known all along what the Ministry were going to do when he made Julia go there rather than going out and celebrating their anniversary.

That was why he had made her leave the office while he talked to the officials: if she had stayed he wouldn’t have been able to get re-bonded. She was sure even Lucius wouldn’t have the balls to do that while she was still in the room. But, trusting him, she had left him to fight for their marriage and instead, he had betrayed her and accepted the first young scrap of a thing to come along. How he must be laughing at her.

He had even had the gall to ask her to stay on at Malfoy Manor as if she was some sort of concubine, betting on her desire for him and the lack of anywhere else for her to go to make her agree to do as he wanted. More than anything that had probably been the cruellest thing he had done — telling her he wanted her to stay, that she could even still share his bed — although that had changed pretty quickly when she reminded him of the bimbo. Then she had been relegated back to the room she was currently in, the new woman no doubt taking her place in Lucius’ bed.

How could he even suggest it, or truly believe that she would do it? Did he really think so little of her that he honestly thought he was doing her a favour? Maybe she did have nowhere to go but sleeping on the street would be better than having to share a house with Lucius and his teenage bride.

As had already happened too many times since she looked at Crystal, a vision of the girl and Lucius engaged in acts that Julia had stupidly assumed only she would share with him had slid into her mind to torture her, as if everything else that had happened wasn’t enough to do that already. Had she not satisfied Lucius in their lovemaking? Had she been so bad in bed that he had done everything he possibly could to remove her as his wife?

As she thought about it further, she decided that he had probably never really cared about her at all, he had just pretended he did to make the two years easier for himself, in the same way that the sexy underwear had made the sex more bearable for him. She curled herself up tighter, the keening sobs coming again as she thought of how Lucius had tricked her, had played her for a fool and she had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

__But he told you he loved you__ , the tiny part of her brain that was still trying to think rationally pointed out. __He only told you that for the first time this morning, when he gave you the ring. And he said it again and again at the Ministry.__

But Julia shook away the voice, not wanting to hear, not wanting to think about the beautiful ring Lucius had given her and she had thrown back at him in anger. She wouldn’t want to keep it anyway. It meant nothing now. It would have been a painful reminder of just how much she had lost.

Julia heard a noise outside the bedroom door and panicked, her heart thumping hard in her chest, worried that Lucius had come home. She checked her watch. There was still just over thirty minutes before she had to leave, so if it was him he had welched on their agreement. Still unable to move from the bed she watched as the door slowly opened, ready to hurl abuse at the man she had been so desperate to share her life with. She sagged, tears falling like rain once more, as Ginny, not Lucius entered the bedroom.

Ginny sped up when she heard the sobs turn into something far more grief-stricken, feeling the need to comfort the woman whose life had just fallen apart. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how she would feel if something similar had happened to her and Draco. She was just glad that her fiancé had informed the Ministry they were in the midst of planning their wedding and managed to get them both removed from the eligibility list otherwise things could have been very different.

Poor Julia had already been torn away from one lover into a marriage that should have been blissful . . . had been blissful, until the stupid Ministry of Magic had stepped in to ruin it. Through the drawing room she went, not bothering to knock on the door, sure from the noise Julia was making that she wouldn’t even hear it.

Ginny entered the bedroom and rushed towards the bed, pulling the stricken woman into her arms and cradling her gently, willing her to stop crying. She was very conscious of the time ticking away, but until she got Julia to calm down she could do nothing to help her pack. Fortunately, being held and talked to seemed to do the trick, and after only a few more minutes Julia was finally able to talk.

‘You’ve got fifteen minutes left,’ Ginny said seriously. ‘What do you need me to do? The house-elves are packing up anything outside of this room, so we just have to do this.’

With difficulty, Julia pulled herself off the bed and made her way to the closet, opening it to reveal her old school trunk. She used her wand to move it to the centre of the room.

‘I guess we put stuff in here,’ she said morosely. She looked around appraisingly.

Her initial intention had been to take only those things she had brought with her, leaving everything that had been provided by Lucius, thereby making sure she had nothing he could use as leverage against her later. But it wasn’t long before she realised that after two years there was very little left of her previous life. Everything she owned, even down to the clothes she stood up in, had been bought since becoming Lucius’ wife.

She pulled open a drawer and looked at the sets of underwear it contained. For a moment her heart hurt, a twinge of pain as she thought of how she had dressed in it for Lucius and of his apparent appreciation. She sighed. Maybe she didn’t want to be reminded of what they had done together but in reality she had no choice but to take it. It was the only underwear she owned. Using her wand to move the lingerie to the trunk she watched as various other items joined it, moved by Ginny, who was packing everything she could see.

Ten minutes later the trunk was full and Ginny and Julia were once again sitting on the bed, Ginny stroking the older woman’s hand soothingly.

‘Where are you going to go?’ Ginny asked. She sounded concerned.

Julia shrugged. ‘I haven’t really had time to think about that. I suppose I shall have to find a hotel until I can find a place to live.’

‘Come and stay with us,’ Ginny suggested. Julia opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything Ginny added, ‘You know we’ve got a spare room, so we can put you up for a while. It’ll be much better than staying in some dodgy hotel . . . and I know Draco won’t mind.’

Julia shook her head. ‘I need to get away. I don’t want Lucius deciding he needs to see me.’

‘We won’t tell him you’re staying,’ Ginny assured her. ‘If he asks we’ll tell him we’ve no idea where you’ve gone.’

Julia looked gratefully at Ginny and a small smile, the first in ages, came to her lips as she quietly said, ‘Thank you.’

‘You do know Lucius didn’t do this on purpose, don’t you?’ Ginny asked as she led Julia out of the door. ‘I know you’re probably thinking he betrayed you, and I don’t blame you for that — I’d be thinking the same if Draco had done this to me. But I know Lucius loves you and he would never let you go unless he had absolutely no choice.’

‘I wish I could believe that,’ Julia said sadly. ‘But it’s so hard to accept right now.’

‘I know,’ Ginny said sympathetically. They had reached the top of the stairs. ‘Are you going to say goodbye to the house-elves before you go? They’re quite upset that you’re leaving. Merlin only knows what they’ll think of Crystal.’

Julia gave a small bitter laugh. ‘I don’t know what to think of Crystal.’

Ginny nodded in agreement. ‘She’s definitely different, that’s for sure. Poor Lucius. I think he’s going to have his work cut out with her.’

‘Perhaps he’ll get on better with her,’ Julia said quietly, another vision of the couple forcing its way into her mind. She firmly pushed it back out again. ‘He didn’t want to be with me at first.’

‘That was just him trying to overcome his prejudice,’ Ginny reminded her. They had reached the kitchen now. ‘He was telling Draco all about how wonderful you were long before he even admitted he was interested. You could pick it up in the way he talked about you. By the time we met you we already knew he was in love with you.’

‘After that party was the first time we made love without it being just about the contract,’ Julia said. She smiled in remembrance. ‘That was the night I moved into Lucius’ bedroom.’ Her smile disappeared as she thought about the man she loved sharing his bed with someone else . . . someone not her.

She tried to smile while she talked to the house-elves, thanking them for everything they had done while she had lived at the manor and for packing the rest of her belongings. Moki sent a couple of them off to bring down her trunk and then it was time to go, she knew if she stayed even for another couple of minutes she ran the risk of bumping into Lucius. The hour was up and the marriage was over. It was time for Julia to leave Malfoy Manor.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia stayed with Ginny and Draco for just over a fortnight while she looked for somewhere to live, finally finding and renting a small flat in London just off Diagon Alley, not far from St Mungo’s. She had returned to working full time at the hospital after explaining to her boss about her separation from Lucius, and at her request she had been placed in an office away from the public area of the building, ensuring that if Lucius came looking for her he was unlikely to find her.

But Lucius hadn’t come looking. The day after she left the manor he had asked Draco if he knew where Julia had gone, but his son had feigned ignorance and it appeared Lucius had believed him and had little or no interest in tracking her down. After a couple of months passed Julia began to relax slightly, no longer petrified that she would run into her ex-husband, although the depression hadn’t left.

While Julia didn’t believe that Lucius hadn’t settled into his relationship with Crystal, knowing that if nothing else he would have had to consummate the union and try regularly for a baby, she had at least finally came to realise that he hadn’t ended their relationship on purpose and she no longer believed he had sabotaged their chances of having a child. Deep inside she knew that was still her fault.

Several discussions with Draco and Ginny, both while she was staying with them and after her move, had allowed her to see the truth of what the Ministry of Magic had done and why Lucius had asked her to stay with him at the manor. But it didn’t help. Julia was already missing Lucius when she had thought him the villain of the piece, and that just increased once she stopped blaming him for what had happened.

But she was forthright in her explanation when Draco asked her why she hadn’t stayed, knowing that his father would have been happy to keep her by his side regardless of his current circumstances. Julia explained about her own first days of marriage to Lucius, when he had been forever leaving her to go about his business, conducting his extra-marital activities quite openly and with no regard for her happiness.

While she might not have been pleased about Crystal taking over her husband, Julia didn’t want to give Lucius the excuse to treat the young woman the same way he had treated her, and even more openly. Their relationship was over and both she and Lucius had to get used to the fact that he was married to someone else; the quicker they could do that, the better it would be for everyone.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ginny smiled and waved as she saw Julia waiting for her outside Quality Quidditch Supplies. She hugged the older woman tightly and then the couple headed down the street towards the cafe they regularly used. The two women tried to get together at least once a month as they enjoyed each other’s company and Ginny, in particular, was especially careful to keep in touch with Julia as she was aware her circle of friends wasn’t very large.

Her life before marriage to Lucius had apparently revolved completely around her boyfriend, and Lucius hadn’t been eager to share his wife with others, either. And Ginny knew Julia had a tendency to bury herself in her work as a coping mechanism, not confiding in anyone unless she was pushed.

Although she seemed to have recovered from the shock of the abrupt ending of her marriage well enough, Ginny was aware that Julia had done nothing to make her life more comfortable and even though it had been almost a year since she and Lucius had split she had made no attempt to have another relationship.

While Ginny knew that being in a relationship didn’t necessarily mean a better life, she was worried that her friend was missing out on the benefits a boyfriend could bring — no one could base their life entirely on work and claim to be happy. She had tried to gently suggest several times that Julia should start dating, even if only to take her mind off her ex-husband, but all such conversations had been shut down dead. It was a shame because Ginny knew of at least three men who would have been more than happy to take Julia out for the evening, if only she would give them a chance.        

She had wondered a couple of times whether Julia was waiting for Lucius, aware that once the two years was up he would be getting an annulment of his current union with the loathsome Crystal, but from conversations they’d had that didn’t seem to be the case. As far as Julia was concerned her relationship with Lucius had ended forever and she had no intention of attempting to revisit it when his current marriage ended.

Ginny wasn’t entirely sure she was being truthful as, on occasion, when she was caught off-guard, Julia’s face would take on either that look of misery that Ginny remembered so well from the early days of the split or a wistful look that she was sure signified Julia was thinking about Lucius.

‘Have you taken my advice and got laid yet?’ Ginny asked with a grin after the waitress had taken their order and they were waiting for their food to arrive.

Julia shook her head primly. ‘No, I told you I’m not interested in some tawdry relationship. I’m perfectly all right as I am, thank you.’

‘Bollocks are you,’ Ginny retorted. ‘You and Lucius were at it like rabbits.’ She laughed loudly as Julia looked set to disagree indignantly. ‘Don’t tell me you weren’t, Julia, because everyone knows you were, so I don’t believe you’re happy doing without. It’s been over ten months now. Time you got back out and on the horse again . . . metaphorically speaking.’ She winked at her friend.

‘I really am okay,’ Julia insisted. She waited while the waitress, who had returned with a tray, put the teapot, milk and cups on the table, then left again. She opened the lid of the teapot and began to stir the contents with a teaspoon. ‘After the relationship with Lucius ended I didn’t want to do or think about anything that reminded me of him. Sex is one of those things. I’m better off without it.’ She pulled the teaspoon from the pot and put the lid back on.

‘That’s bollocks, too,’ Ginny said. ‘I think a decent shag would sort you out. Stop you moping around.’

‘I am not moping around,’ Julia said, bristling at the criticism.

‘Of course you are, and it’s not good enough. You really need to take control of your life and go out there and get laid. It’ll do you the world of good.’

‘I told you, I don’t want to get laid. I’m just not that interested in sex anymore.’

‘That’s because you haven’t done it for so long,’ Ginny pointed out. ‘Once you start doing it again you’ll be right back in the game.’

Julia shook her head, disagreeing with her friend as Ginny poured the tea for them both. She poured milk into the brown liquid and stirred it with her teaspoon once again.

 ‘I told you, I’m not—’

‘Do you think Lucius has given up having sex?’ Ginny asked bluntly.

Julia looked at her friend in surprise. Normally she didn’t mention Lucius unless Julia brought him up.

‘I don’t really care what he’s getting up to with that bimbo,’ she retorted, trying not to sound bitter although she was aware she wasn’t succeeding.

‘Oh, he’s not fucking __her__ ,’ Ginny said, her face showing distaste. ‘He has no interest in Chandelier at all. It’s you he wants to get all hot and heavy with, Julia.’

‘And I told you I’ve got no interest in doing that while he’s married to someone else,’ Julia said tartly. ‘I explained why in the past and have no intention of doing so again.’

She wished her heart hadn’t just started beating faster and her stomach done a little flip when Ginny told her Lucius still wanted her. It was pathetic that she still felt that way about him when they could never be a couple again. Even if this marriage was unsuccessful and Lucius got another annulment, the Ministry would just pair him with someone else, again and again, until finally, he got one of them pregnant. There was no future for her with Lucius and it was pointless wishing or pretending it could be any other way.

‘Perhaps you should reconsider. I know he would be more than happy to—’

‘I said no,’ Julia said sharply, her cheeks flushed with anger. ‘It’s not going to happen, Ginny, so stop talking about it.’

She took a sip of her tea, refusing to say anything further. Ginny took a sip of her tea, too, debating what to say.

‘Well, if you’re not interested in Lucius, what about one of Draco’s mates? Greg Goyle’s a nice guy and he’s improved considerably since school. He’s a bit thick but he knows how to treat a lady well, and I hear he’s very well endowed. And he’s definitely interested. He wanted to know everything about you after you met him that time at the Quidditch.’ Ginny grinned salaciously.

Julia pictured the hulking man for a moment, then shook her head again. ‘I told you, I’m not interested,’ she said with a sigh. ‘And I’m definitely not interested in someone young enough to be my son. I don’t have Lucius’ morals, thank you very much.’

‘I’m not talking about you marrying him, just having a bit of fun for once in your life. Anyway, you know Lucius didn’t choose to marry Chandelier. She was just the one the Ministry of Magic picked out. There’s absolutely no point in getting annoyed with him over her . . . unless you’re still angry with him for not giving up his wand.’

‘I never expected him to give up his wand,’ Julia replied quickly. ‘I know he could never do that. It was just a shock that she was so young . . . and so bloody pretty.’

‘Don’t forget thick as two short planks,’ Ginny added with a wicked grin. ‘She might sparkle, but Chandelier definitely doesn’t shine . . . the lights are on but there’s no one home.’  

‘I’m sure she’s a nice enough girl really, though. Perhaps Lucius ought to try and make a go of things with her. They make a good-looking couple,’ Julia said resignedly.

‘No she isn’t, she’s a complete bitch,’ Ginny retorted. ‘And she’s a gold-digger. She’s only interested in Lucius’ money. It’s obscene the amount she spends on clothes.’

For a second a vision of Crystal bent over Lucius’ desk while he spanked her as he had done with Julia so long ago slid unwanted into Julia’s mind. She frowned, shook her head, and took another sip of her tea, trying to clear the thought. Ginny had just told her Lucius had no interest in Crystal and surely that extended to his games as well. But of course, just because Lucius told Draco and Ginny he wasn’t interested it didn’t mean he wasn’t. It just meant he was keeping it well hidden.

The waitress appeared again, this time with their food. Ginny gazed happily at her full plate. ‘Ah, lovely . . . a full cooked breakfast. I love having this as it always reminds me of being back at the Burrow. Mum was never happy unless we all ate our own body weight in food at every meal.’ She looked at the jacket potato with cheese that Julia had ordered. There was also a limp lettuce leaf, a slice of cucumber, and a quarter of a tomato that looked like it had seen better days. ‘Is that going to be enough for you?’ she asked doubtfully.

Julia nodded as she cut into the potato to release the heat. ‘Yes, this will be fine. I don’t tend to eat much at lunchtime. I usually have something more substantial for dinner.’  

‘Lucius wants to take you out for dinner,’ Ginny ventured quietly after a few minutes of eating. She saw the look her friend gave her and said, ‘Don’t get upset with me, Julia, I’m just saying. He really wants to see you . . . and he wants to make it up to you for not getting to celebrate your anniversary. He was going to take you to the Black Dragon that day.’

Julia sighed again. ‘Can we not talk about Lucius anymore, please? I’m trying to forget he even exists, remember?’

‘I know, and I really think that’s a big mistake,’ Ginny said honestly. ‘I know you still love him—’

‘Oh, for god’s sake, Ginny, shut up!’ Julia cried out in frustration, dropping her knife and fork onto her plate. ‘Talking about him still hurts, even now, so please . . . .’ She picked up her cutlery and began to eat once more, a fierce look on her face.

‘I’m sorry, Julia,’ Ginny said a few minutes later once the silence between them had become unbearable. ‘I forget how you’re feeling because you always seem so together as if it doesn’t bother you.’

‘Well, it does,’ Julia admitted. ‘I’m sorry I shouted at you, Ginny. You just touched a raw nerve.’ She looked at her friend, then gave her a small grin. ‘I can’t believe I missed out on dinner at the Black Dragon.’

‘He’ll still—’ Ginny began to say then shut up as she saw the frown cross Julia’s face. She raised her hands. ‘Sorry.’

‘So who’s he doing it with?’ Julia asked several minutes later, once the food had been eaten and she was sipping her second cup of tea.

‘Who’s doing what with whom?’ Ginny asked, looking confused.

‘Lucius. You said he’s still having sex but he’s not doing it with Crystal, so who’s he doing it with?’ Julia tried to sound less interested than she actually was.

Ginny shrugged. ‘He’s getting it from a whole range of unsuitable sources, as far as I know. He can be quite the slut when he wants to be.’ She saw Julia frown and continued, ‘Do you remember all the hoo-hah there was about him when he divorced Narcissa?’

Julia nodded. ‘I remember it being in the papers but I didn’t really read about it at the time. To be honest, I wasn’t all that interested in what some perverted Death Eater was up to.’

Ginny looked surprised. ‘Blimey, you must be about the only person I know who wasn’t interested. That happened at the end of the last year I was at school. I wasn’t with Draco then — we really didn’t get on at all well at school — but I remember reading all about Lucius and his shocking lifestyle.’

‘Yeah, but that was just to sell a few papers and based on the bitterness of a scorned wife, wasn’t it?’ Julia said sceptically. ‘I mean, I know he can be a bit kinky.’ She broke off for a moment as Ginny raised her eyebrows. Julia shrugged. ‘But what bloke isn’t, given the chance?’

Ginny smiled. ‘I’d love to know what your idea of kinky is after two years with Lucius. Anyway, all that stuff in the papers wasn’t just talk. Draco told me all about it after we got together. Apparently, Lucius used to like frequenting some very particular types of clubs . . . but being the arrogant bastard he is, he used to take it home with him rather than leave it there. I don’t think Narcissa minded what he did when he kept it out of the manor; they didn’t really have that much in the way of a relationship after Draco was born. But once Lucius started flaunting what he was up to at home she finally snapped.

‘She tried to drag his name through the mud in hopes it might finally make him see some sense about what his debauchery was doing to the family . . . but this is Lucius we’re talking about, and you know he always does just exactly what he wants, regardless of the consequences. In any event, the publicity just brought him to the attention of a whole new group of women who were happy to become involved in his games, so he continued until he married you.’

‘I don’t think he stopped then,’ Julia said, ‘at least not at the beginning. He used to be out every night and would never tell me what he was doing although he made it patently clear without actually specifying that it was sexual. I just assumed he had a mistress.’

‘Not one,’ Ginny said. ‘Several. And since you went away he’s taken up with that scene again . . . in a big way. I’m not sure Chandelier cares much, although when she’s in the mood she does go all out to try to seduce him. I’ve seen her in action and I can tell you it’s not pretty. But he’s really not interested — unless he’s tying her up and ball-gagging her late at night when no one can see them.’ She grimaced at the thought. ‘Anyway, Draco and I were hoping you might be able to talk some sense into him.’

Julia gave a brittle laugh. ‘Yeah, right. I’ve no idea what makes you think that. Even if I were willing to talk to him — which I’m not, by the way — Lucius wouldn’t listen to me. As you said, he always goes his own sweet way and nothing I could say would stop him.’

Ginny looked surprised. ‘Julia, I don’t think you realise just what sort of hold you have over Lucius, do you? He would do anything you asked him to do, just as long as there was a chance of him spending some time with you. And if you and he . . . .’ Julia shook her head and Ginny stopped talking.

‘It’s not going to happen, Ginny, I’m sorry. It’s not my fault Lucius has chosen to go off the rails again. Obviously, he’s addicted to that sort of thing and can’t keep away from it. I’m happy with where I’ve got to and I can’t jeopardise that by seeing Lucius now . . . please, tell me you understand?’

Ginny looked at her friend appraisingly for a moment and nodded, although she didn’t look very impressed. ‘You have to do what makes you happy,’ she said finally.


	7. Chapter 7

Julia thought about what Ginny had said to her during their lunch. Not so much about Lucius and his return to the hedonistic lifestyle that he had eventually, as far as she was aware, ceased to have while he was with her, nor was she seriously considering having sex with anyone, but Ginny was right that Julia hadn’t been as proactive in spending her leisure time with other people as she could have been, often preferring to stay at home alone with a good book. If nothing else she really should make the effort to get out and socialise a bit.

She didn’t need a boyfriend, regardless of what Ginny and Draco thought, but she couldn’t spend the rest of her life avoiding social situations in case she ran into Lucius. She had accepted that there was nothing left between them, so there shouldn't be any cause for concern. She wouldn’t go out of her way to attend functions she knew he would be at but neither would she be so reluctant about going out when the opportunity arose.

And so she tried to be more sociable. She started by joining hospital colleagues for a drink after work, something she had never really done before, even when she was with Nigel, and she discovered she enjoyed the mindless chatter that such trips involved. The talk was mainly about work, but when it did move outside of the conventional tropes it was rarely uncomfortable or challenging and Julia found herself enjoying spending time with other people. From there she began to accept invitations to dinner parties and other such gatherings, although these were occasionally a little tricky without a significant other to partner her, but on most occasions she managed to get through it.

She even went to a party held by Draco and Ginny, after making sure that Lucius and Crystal wouldn’t be there, and she enjoyed it although she was a little wary of Greg Goyle after what Ginny had told her about him. He actually asked her out on a date but didn’t seem that disheartened when she turned him down, and she was surprised to find afterwards that the encounter left her feeling quite upbeat, something she definitely wasn’t used to after the months of depression.

But most importantly, the reintroduction of her social life brought her into contact with someone she had never expected to see again — her ex-boyfriend, Nigel. Julia had thought about Nigel a few times since her marriage to Lucius had ended but never with any real expectation of ever seeing him again. It was true that when she left him she had only been expecting her marriage to last for two years and had, at that time, harboured hopes that she would afterwards be reunited with her lover, but so much had changed since then that when she actually found herself single again she didn’t even consider trying to contact Nigel.

At first, it was because of what she had lost, which hurt so much that she couldn’t focus on anything but the pain. And once she finally began to get over the heartache of the split and accept that what she and Lucius had shared was gone forever, it suddenly seemed ridiculous to imagine that Nigel would have waited so long for her, and she didn’t want to make his life difficult by suddenly reappearing.

Plus, of course, there was the little matter of her still being in love with Lucius . . . however much she tried to pretend it was no longer true. But an evening out with some work colleagues had turned into a major pub crawl and it was there, in a pub she didn’t usually frequent, that she bumped into Nigel — almost literally.

He was pleased to see her, almost overjoyed in fact, and after a few drinks and a hasty catch-up on what had been happening since the last time she had seen him he invited her out on a date. Julia was surprised at the invitation and even more surprised that she accepted and found herself to be quite excited at the prospect.

The initial date went well, and although three years had passed since the two of them had last been together it seemed as if they had never been apart. Another date followed, as did several more and soon Julia found herself spending almost as much time with Nigel as she had before their separation, although they still hadn’t slept together as she wasn’t quite ready to commit herself to taking that great a step in the relationship.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘You’re looking a bit smug,’ Ginny told Julia when they met up for lunch. ‘What’s the matter?’

Julia shrugged lightly. ‘Nothing’s the matter — everything’s great, actually.’

Ginny looked suspiciously at her friend. ‘You’re definitely not your usual morose self, so come on, spill the beans. What’s going on?’

Julia smiled. ‘Well, you know you told me I should get myself a boyfriend . . . I have.’

Ginny looked surprised. ‘A boyfriend? I thought you weren’t interested in being in another relationship.’

‘I wasn’t. But I realised you were right about me moping around at home all the time and so I started going out and having fun for once.’ Julia took a sip of her tea, the smile still on her face.

‘Well, I know you came to our party, but to be honest, I thought that was a one-off,’ Ginny admitted. She looked wonderingly at Julia. ‘You’re not going out with Greg, are you? I saw he was all over you at the party.’

Julia laughed and shook her head. ‘No, it’s not Greg. He’s a nice enough boy, but he is a boy and not at all what I wanted.’

‘So who is it, then?’ Ginny asked interestedly. ‘I hope he’s tall, blond and handsome with a lot of money and the good sense to spend it on you.’

Julia shook her head again, her smile growing wider. ‘Not exactly. He’s average height, sandy-haired, and not bad-looking. No money, though . . . which actually isn’t a problem — money isn’t everything, you know.’

‘It’s not Lucius, then,’ Ginny said quietly.

‘Lucius? Why would you think I was seeing Lucius?’ Julia asked, looking confused.

Ginny shrugged. ‘I wondered whether you’d changed your mind and decided to see him. And I know you can’t resist him.’ She sounded a little disappointed.

‘Well, it’s definitely not him,’ Julia said stoutly. ‘How many times do I have to say that I’m not going there again?’ She looked at Ginny, noting her friend’s downcast expression. ‘Are you really disappointed that it’s not him?’

Ginny shrugged again. ‘You two make such a great couple, Julia, and you love each other so much. I just never thought you’d get together with someone else.’

Julia looked at Ginny incredulously. ‘You’re the one who’s been telling me for months that I ought to go out and get laid. You tried to set me up with Greg, remember?’

‘I was talking about you getting laid by Lucius, as I’m sure you are well aware,’ Ginny admitted. ‘I knew you wouldn’t go for Greg, but I was hoping if you went on a date with him he would make you realise what you were missing out on with Lucius by being stubborn.’

‘Stubborn! You think I’m being stubborn?’ Julia was shocked by what Ginny was telling her.

‘Of course you are. You and Lucius are so in love and he didn’t _want_ to let you go . . . but you were the one who insisted the two of you had to part. It didn’t need to be that way.’

‘Have you forgotten the little matter of him getting remarried?’ Julia asked, getting annoyed now. ‘I think that was good enough grounds for ending the relationship, wasn’t it? Anyway, I thought you were in agreement with me about what I’d done. I thought you understood.’

Ginny sighed and stirred her tea absent-mindedly. ‘I do understand why you did it, but it just seems so stupid, when the two of you are so obviously in love with each other and he has no interest in Chandelier, that you shouldn’t continue your relationship. You don’t have to move back into Malfoy Manor. You could stay living where you are if it makes you feel more comfortable. But I really think you and Lucius should be together.’

‘Well, that’s not going to happen,’ Julia said adamantly. She took a sip of her own tea, then added quietly, ‘I don’t want to be one of Lucius’ mistresses.’

‘He wouldn’t have any others if you were a couple again,’ Ginny said honestly. ‘He’s only doing it out of frustration at not being able to see you.’

‘It doesn’t matter whether he would or not,’ Julia admitted quietly. ‘There’s no point in getting involved with Lucius again when he’ll just end up being married to someone else once his marriage to Crystal is over. Anyway, I don’t want to be a mistress.’

‘So who’s this new fella, then?’ Ginny asked feeling the need to move the subject off Lucius before Julia got really upset and because she was dying to know who could possibly begin to take his place in her friend’s affections.

‘Well . . . he’s not really all that new,’ Julia said. ‘It’s Nigel, my ex.’

‘What, the bloke you were with before Lucius?’ Ginny asked in surprise.

Julia nodded. ‘I didn’t contact him when things ended with Lucius because I thought he’d have long since forgotten about me. But having taken your advice and got a social life, I bumped into him in the pub a while back while I was out with colleagues from work and we got chatting. He asked me to go out for a drink with him without everyone else, so I said yes. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now and it’s going really well.’

‘He didn’t get married or paired or anything after you left him for Lucius, then?’ Ginny asked. She was frowning. ‘That’s a bit weird, isn’t it?’

Julia shrugged. ‘I don’t think it is. I told him all about the terms of the marriage on the day I left, so he knew that after two years it would be annulled, and at the time I definitely intended to go back to him as soon as it was. And he hasn’t had a letter from the Ministry so he hasn’t been married off. Apparently, he was waiting for me to contact him . . . he was waiting for me, Ginny.’

‘Did you tell him the only reason you’re not still with Lucius is because the Ministry separated you?’ Ginny asked a touch nastily.

Julia frowned. ‘No, of course I didn’t. I did tell him that Lucius and I got on okay, though, that the two years wasn’t a complete nightmare.’

‘That was big of you, but not exactly the truth, is it? So he doesn’t know that you’re still completely in love with Lucius, then?’ Ginny pushed.

Julia glared at her friend. ‘I’m not completely in love with him, Ginny . . . not anymore. What’s the point of making my life miserable by wasting time pining for something I can’t have? I admit I was in love with Lucius when we parted, but the situation isn’t going to change and I have to think of my future. Nigel could be that future. When I’m with him it’s almost as if we’ve never been apart.’

‘Is he as good in bed as Lucius?’ Ginny asked slyly. ‘Does he have Lucius’ . . . stamina?’

Julia felt herself blushing as she admitted, ‘We haven’t resumed being that intimate yet. We’re taking it slowly.’

‘You mean you don’t want to do it with him because you still want Lucius,’ Ginny said shrewdly.

‘No . . . I mean that we’re taking it slowly. I don’t want to rush into anything with anyone. Just because I lived with Nigel before doesn’t mean I should just jump straight back into bed with him.’

‘I agree,’ Ginny told her. ‘But I don’t think you should be jumping into bed with _him_ at all. And I think you should tell him the truth about your relationship with Lucius, too. See if he’s still so interested in rekindling things when he knows you didn’t leave your marriage for him but because you had no choice.’

‘I don’t think he needs to know,’ Julia said. She was aware she sounded overly defensive, but she was annoyed at Ginny trying to ruin her good feeling about her relationship with Nigel. She sighed. ‘Look, Ginny, what Lucius and I had is gone now and I like being with Nigel. There’s no reason to stir things up.’

‘Except that you’re not being truthful with him, are you?’ Ginny pointed out. ‘So, what, he thinks you split with Lucius after the two years was up as had been the plan all along; that there was nothing between the two of you and yet you didn’t go back to Nigel because . . . because . . . what? Surely he expected you to go back to him straight after the two years was up if he was that confident of getting you back. So why didn’t he track you down and ask why you didn’t come back?’

Julia sighed. ‘I told him I hadn’t been sure he would want to see me, that I didn’t know how things stood as it had been such an abrupt parting and I assumed he would have found someone else, so I didn’t want to rock the boat.’

‘And he was happy with that explanation, was he?’ Ginny demanded.

Julia nodded her head. ‘He told me I was an idiot for thinking he would go off with someone else, that he loves me and can’t wait for us to live together again.’

Ginny looked at Julia in horror. ‘You’re not moving back in with him, Julia. Please tell me you’re not that stupid.’

‘Why would it be stupid?’ Julia asked her cheeks red and her eyes flashing with anger. ‘Nigel loves me and wants me to be with him, so why should I stay on my own? You were the one pushing for me to be in a relationship so I don’t understand why you’ve got a problem with it.’

‘Because you’re not in love with Nigel, you’re in love with Lucius,’ Ginny said. ‘You can pretend as much as you like, Julia, but I know the truth even if you don’t want to admit it.’ Julia started to shake her head but Ginny continued, ‘So if this relationship with Nigel is so fantastic, why haven’t you shagged him yet? Surely if the two of you have such a _special_ relationship you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off each other — just like you and Lucius couldn’t. Admit it, Julia, the reason you haven’t shagged him is because you still want Lucius and you know Nigel’s not going to be a patch on him.’  

Julia didn’t speak for a moment, apparently considering what to say, then answered quietly, ‘It’s going to happen over Christmas. Nigel’s invited me to stay with him over the holidays and so it’ll be like a Christmas present . . . sort of romantic.’

Ginny looked at her for a long time without saying anything, then, ‘Nothing I can say is going to change your mind, is it?’ she asked.

Julia shook her head.

‘I really don’t think you and Nigel getting back together is a good idea,’ Ginny said candidly. ‘You’re meant to be with Lucius, not him. But I’m not going to be able to change your mind, so all I’ll say is be careful and you know where I am if you need me.’

‘It’s going to be fine,’ Julia assured her. ‘There’s still that spark and I know Nigel will make me happy.’

The look on Ginny’s face said that she didn’t believe Julia, but she didn’t dare say anything further for fear of really upsetting her friend. She just wondered how Lucius would react to the news when he found out.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

Julia lay on her bed, hugging her pillow, the tears streaming down her face. It had been so long since she had cried this hard and she didn’t like feeling this way. She wasn’t sure which was worse, the anger or the sorrow, both of which were threatening to overwhelm her. She knew Ginny would be annoyed if she discovered Julia hadn’t contacted her to tell her about what had happened . . . hadn’t tried to offset the misery she was going through, but Julia couldn’t face seeing her . . . couldn’t face seeing anyone, really. She couldn’t cope with the recriminations and the “I told you so’s” that she knew would come from a conversation with her red-haired friend, and worse still, the knowledge that Ginny had been right.

She didn’t need Ginny to remind her that she wasn’t being entirely truthful with Nigel about the extent of her relationship with Lucius. She was well aware that while he wanted reassurance that she had been well treated in the two years she had been with her ex-husband, he probably didn’t want to know, given Lucius’ reputation and Nigel’s hope that she would return to him, that they had actually fallen in love. As by that time she was firmly in the denial stage, it was easy to downplay the relationship, especially when she discovered that Nigel really had thought she had ended the marriage to be with him again.

Julia didn’t want to disappoint him by telling him the truth and so determined was she that she would make a new life with her old boyfriend once more that she had concocted some stupid reason for not contacting him immediately on her release from the marriage. Nigel had been supportive and understanding, although surprised that she would have thought him capable of abandoning her when he knew she was going to return to him.

This faith in her made it even harder for Julia to admit that things weren’t quite as she had initially indicated. It was easier to keep quiet and pretend she had never had any love for Lucius than to admit to the truth. In turn, this denial fed into her continuing assertions to Ginny that she wasn’t in love with Lucius any longer, something she had spent so many long hours over the months they had been apart trying to convince herself of, although admittedly without much success.

When Christmas arrived, Julia went to stay with Nigel in the home they had shared for fifteen years, slotting easily enough back into the life that had gone before. It was almost as if she had never been married to Lucius, and at first everything was perfect. The holiday period itself was a romantic time and they eventually made love, but as Julia soon remembered, Nigel wasn’t the most adventurous lover in the world and it unwittingly brought Lucius and his far more spirited and passionate lovemaking to mind.

She had tried to ignore it and go with the flow but the fact was that Nigel wasn’t stimulating her in the way she had got used to and thoroughly enjoyed, and she found that intimacy with him was just plain dull. More confident now than she had been during their previous relationship, Julia attempted to introduce a little more excitement to their bedroom games but it didn’t turn out very well.

Nigel steadfastly refused all the subtle hints she gave, especially where going down on her was concerned, and when she decided to take matters into her own hands and attempt to lead him into being a little more open-minded they ended up having a huge fight.

During the argument, Nigel complained that being with Lucius had changed Julia, and not for the better. Angrily, Julia asked him what was wrong with her and he was quick to give an extensive list of things he felt were a problem but as far as she could see weren’t flaws at all but were positive changes to her personality that Lucius had helped to bring out in her.

It seemed to boil down to the fact that Nigel was particularly unhappy that she was no longer content to play the doormat, automatically doing whatever he required of her without complaint or query and especially without asking for anything in return; her new-found confidence seemed to insult him. When Julia pointed this out he became irate and defensive, ending their lovemaking session and stalking away before there could be a satisfying resolution to the argument. He was not willing to discuss it further as Julia obviously wasn’t going to back down as he wanted.

It was at this point that Julia understood that she would not be moving in permanently with her boyfriend as he had asked her to do on Christmas Day. In a vain effort to keep the peace she spent a few days attempting to quell her desires and trying to be the girlfriend Nigel wanted her to be, but this brought all his other faults to light and these, coupled with his desire to be with her every waking moment of the day when they weren’t at work, left Julia feeling claustrophobic, weary, and down-right depressed.

Again and again, remembrance of the surprisingly non-possessive and loving relationship she’d had with Lucius came unbidden to her mind, and each time it showed her just how much was lacking from her relationship with Nigel until eventually, she could stand it no longer.

The day had started pretty much as expected, with lovemaking that was anything but satisfying — for her, at least — and a quiet breakfast during which Nigel caught up with the latest Quidditch news. He was making noises about Julia moving her stuff from her flat to the house, pointing out that it was ridiculous for her to keep paying rent on such a crappy old place when she could quite happily move back home.

Already dissatisfied with him because of the poor lovemaking, Julia bristled at the suggestion, both because she no longer wanted to live with Nigel and because she was upset at his description of her flat. While it was true the apartment wasn’t a palace, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad as Nigel painted it and she felt quite proprietorial about the only place she now considered home.

Trying to change the subject, as Julia did the washing-up she attempted, as she had a few times since they had got back together, to engage Nigel in conversation about what he had been up to during the three years they were apart. Although he told her quite categorically that he had been waiting for her and she was sure from the way he acted towards her that this was true, he also always managed to side-step the question of what their time apart had held for him, being deliberately evasive with her and it made Julia wonder just what he had been getting up to.  As Ginny had told her, it _was_ a little weird if he had just sat around waiting for her to come back, especially without any guarantees that she would.

Julia couldn’t help wondering if there had been another woman, although if that were the case she couldn’t understand why Nigel wouldn’t talk to her about it, considering she too had been with someone else . . . unless, like her, he had his own secrets to keep. But already unhappy about Julia’s continuing stubbornness on not moving back home — yet another bad trait Lucius had allowed her to develop, according to Nigel — he refused to talk, and Julia found herself losing her temper with him as happened so easily these days.

Yet another screaming argument ensued during which she asked him outright, and he admitted that he had been seeing someone else, and further, which came as a complete shock to Julia, that it was someone he worked with, a woman called Stella who Julia had always detested and whilst she had still been living with Nigel had always suspected of fancying her boyfriend.

Apparently, no longer bothered about keeping things friendly between them, Nigel then went on to drop a bombshell when he revealed that the relationship had actually started before Julia’s marriage to Lucius, when she had received the pairing letter, as he had guessed she wouldn’t be able to stop the marriage from occurring. Feeling sorry for himself, he had turned to Stella for comfort and they had ended up in bed. This came as something of a shock to Julia, especially considering the woman he had done it with.

Nigel at least admitted that he had felt guilty at the time about what he had done, but as Julia left only a couple of weeks later he didn’t tear himself apart over his infidelity. He attempted to gloss over the episode by being quick to point out that while Nigel and Stella had remained a couple for almost two years, he had no interest in settling down permanently with his mistress and had been expecting Julia to come back to him and things to resume as they had before. But he hadn’t anticipated her being so changed and was finding it hard to take.

When he had once again begun to criticise Lucius for what he had done to “ruin” Julia she could take it no more. Wanting to hurt Nigel as he had hurt her, she admitted to him that she was in love with Lucius and the only reason she had left him was because the Ministry of Magic had annulled the marriage.

With the relationship between Julia and Nigel effectively over for good, there was nothing for her to do but to pack up the few belongings she had taken to Nigel’s and head back to her lonely flat. There was a sick feeling in her stomach when she realised that not only that she had just lost any chance of a normal and happy life away from Malfoy Manor but that she was still irrevocably in love with Lucius, and it was unlikely that anything or anyone would ever change that.      

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The break-up with Nigel coupled with the stark realisation that her desire for Lucius was as strong as it had always been left Julia reeling. She chose to deal with it in the only way she knew how, by burying herself in her work and cutting herself off from everyone. She didn’t want to see Ginny, knowing the woman would be able to tell instantly that something was wrong. She didn’t think she could stand the sympathy nor was she ready to hear more on why she should be rekindling a relationship with Lucius, who now more than ever she needed to keep away from.

So far she had been fairly successful in her hiding, but she knew it couldn’t last. And that was mainly because of the wedding. She had been aware of and somewhat involved in Draco and Ginny’s wedding plans ever since she had become friends with Ginny and she knew the couple expected her to attend. She had been hoping that by the time the wedding took place she would be in a position to be able to face Lucius and Crystal without her heart being ripped to shreds, but with the demise of her relationship with Nigel and the resurgence of her desire for Lucius that was never going to happen. So she had decided she couldn’t possibly attend, even though she knew this would seriously disappoint the younger couple.

Julia felt bad about her cowardice at dealing with Ginny but felt her mental sanity, already in a fragile enough state after her split with Nigel, was in jeopardy if she had to spend any time in Lucius’ company or even hear from others about how much in love with her he still was. She had therefore, feeling hugely guilty, ignored every communication Ginny sent her and made sure she wasn’t available should her friend decide to visit the hospital, which she had on two occasions. But as the day of the wedding drew ever closer, Julia’s nerves increased until she was jumping at shadows and feeling more miserable and guilty than ever.

‘You’ve got a visitor, Ju,’ Bertha, the department secretary, told Julia as she entered the staff room. Julia had just emerged from a very long and boring planning meeting with the section heads and was desperately in need of a cup of tea. ‘Out in the main corridor.’

‘A visitor?’ Julia looked surprised. ‘Who is it — Ginny?’

Bertha shook her head. ‘It’s a man. He asked for you specifically. I did try to tell him you were in a meeting and wouldn’t be back for ages but he refused to leave a message, said he would wait for you as he needed to speak to you in person.’

Julia’s heart sank. ‘Did he say who he was?’

Bertha shook her head again. ‘No, but he’s young.’

‘Blond?’ Julia asked, pushing the dual thoughts of Lucius and Nigel out of her head although she had no idea why either of them would come to see her. Draco was the obvious suspect; she was sure it was him who was waiting outside for her.

Bertha wrinkled her face as she tried to recall the man’s features. ‘Yeah, I think he was blond. To be honest, I didn’t really take much notice. Nice voice, though.’

‘I don’t suppose there’s any chance you can get him to go away, is there?’ Julia asked hopefully. ‘If it’s who I think it is I don’t really want to speak to him at the moment.’

‘I told you, he won’t leave. And he knows it’s almost lunchtime. He said he would speak to you then if you didn’t have time for him before that.’ Bertha sounded apologetic.

Julia sighed loudly. ‘I suppose I’d better go and see him, then,’ she said resignedly. ‘I suspect he’ll just sit there all day otherwise.’

‘There’s not a problem, is there?’ Bertha asked worriedly. ‘Do we need to call security?’

Julia gave a weak smile and an equally weak laugh. ‘No, there’s nothing wrong, just me being a coward. I was trying to put something off but I think it’s caught up with me.’

‘Well, if you need me to do anything, just shout,’ Bertha said.

‘It’ll be fine,’ Julia told her. ‘Look, I might as well take my lunch break now. I’ll see you in an hour or so.’

She headed back to her office, wishing she could hide away in there until Draco left, but she was fairly certain he wouldn’t leave and she couldn’t stay in her office forever. He was as tenacious as his father and would wait doggedly for her, especially if it was about what she assumed it was about. Sighing again, she dropped her notebook and quill onto her desk and picked up her handbag, then pulled her coat from the coat rack, putting it on as she left the office.

Julia used her wand to lock the door, then headed down the corridor towards the area in which Draco was waiting. He was sitting, stiff-backed, looking completely incongruous in the sterile corridor. He stood up as he saw her approach and waited for her, his face deliberately neutral although his ice-grey eyes, identical to his father’s, were cold and unfriendly.

‘Draco.’ Julia acknowledged him politely with a nod as he fell into step beside her. ‘I need to get some lunch. Let’s walk.’

‘Julia,’ Draco replied equally politely.

They walked in silence towards the hospital exit, Julia’s stomach churning at the upcoming confrontation. She knew she must have upset Ginny with her behaviour. After all, the woman had been nothing but a good friend to her and yet as soon as the going got rough Julia had dropped her. She had been selfish and thoughtless and now she felt guiltier than ever.

They exited the hospital, Julia leading Draco towards a Muggle sandwich shop she occasionally used. Getting a table for the two of them, she sat down and picked up the menu and studied it intently for a moment, not because she was deciding — she already knew what she was going to have — but because she wanted another few minutes before Draco berated her for her appalling treatment of Ginny. Eventually, knowing she could put it off no longer, she put the menu back on the table and looked at Draco.

‘How are you, Draco?’ she asked quietly. She could feel the butterflies swooping around in her stomach and was surprised that she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt.

‘I’ve been better,’ Draco replied candidly, his voice a little clipped. Julia felt herself wince internally at the unspoken rebuke. ‘Things are rather stressful at the moment.’ He didn’t elucidate further. ‘How are you?’

He studied her intently, his eyes boring into hers until she had to look away with embarrassment.

‘I’m okay, I’ve just been very busy,’ she mumbled quietly.

She was relieved when the waitress appeared to take their order, allowing her the opportunity not to have to respond further. She ordered a chicken and mayonnaise salad sandwich and a pot of tea. Draco placed his own order for a cheese and tomato roll and a glass of orange juice. He waited until the waitress put away her notepad and walked over to the counter to place the order before he spoke again.

‘What do you think you’re playing at, Julia?’ he asked, his voice sounding a little angrier than before. Julia stared at him for a moment. ‘I mean, what did Ginny do that you would drop her as a friend . . . especially now, when she’s getting so stressed out about the wedding?’

Julia picked up her napkin and began to play with it nervously as she looked at Draco’s cold eyes. It was amazing how much he looked like Lucius when he was angry. There was something about the set of the mouth and the general attitude . . . and those eyes.

‘I’m sorry,’ she said honestly. ‘I know I’ve been selfish, but I’ve been going through . . . _stuff_ . . . and I needed to do it alone.’

‘Then you should have told Ginny that,’ Draco snapped. ‘She’s been going frantic worrying about you, especially since you went off with that old boyfriend of yours. We haven’t heard from you for weeks, no idea whether her messages were getting through or whether he’d done something to you. It was the last thing she needed when she’s trying to get everything organised for the wedding.’

‘I said I’m sorry,’ Julia replied quietly. ‘I don’t know what else I can say.’

‘So is it that boyfriend of yours that’s causing you to act this way?’ Draco asked, sounding a little more concerned now. ‘Is he stopping you from keeping in contact with us?’

Julia shook her head and sighed. ‘No, it wasn’t Nigel. It was just me being stupid and not thinking properly. I really am sorry, Draco.’

The waitress delivered their food and Draco took a large mouthful of the orange juice as he looked at Julia as if debating what to say.

‘My father threw a fit when he found out you’d gone back to your ex. I had to stop him coming to find you. I’ve never seen him so angry.’ He took a bite of his roll, then asked, ‘Why did you go back to _him_? You’re in love with my father, so why waste your time with someone else?’

Julia looked unhappily at Draco. ‘This sort of interrogation was exactly the reason I didn’t want to chat. I’ve told both you and Ginny before why there was no chance of getting back with your father . . . but she wouldn’t drop it. Nigel gave me the chance for a _normal_ life, Draco, a chance to be loved without all the pain that goes with loving your father.’

‘Father won’t let you stay with him,’ Draco warned. ‘I managed to stop him once, but eventually, he’ll lose it completely and I don’t rate your boyfriend’s chances if that happens.’

Julia laughed bitterly. ‘Well, you don’t need to worry about that. Nigel and I split up. It seems we’re no longer compatible, as your father “ruined me”. To be honest, I didn’t need a lecture from you or Ginny about how stupid I’ve been. I’m already well aware of that and at the moment I can’t even bear to hear about your father without wanting to curl up in a ball and die, so the last thing I needed was another attempt to get me to see him. It just seemed easiest all round if I hid away from everyone until I managed to get myself back on an even keel again. I just didn’t think about what it would do to Ginny.’

Draco finished the last of his roll, then wiped his mouth with his napkin. Forthrightly he admitted, ‘To be honest, Julia, I’m glad to hear this thing with your ex didn’t last. It makes things much easier for all of us. I really don’t know why you and my father don’t just fuck each other’s brains out like you both want to do and have done with it. I’m fed up with the pair of you acting like moody teenagers who’ve been grounded.’ Julia looked indignant but before she could say anything Draco continued, ‘You’re sulking in your bedroom, refusing to talk to anyone because your heart’s broken for no good reason . . . .’ Julia opened her mouth to react to that, but Draco shook his head and continued, ‘No . . . there really is no good reason, Julia, because he wants to be with you as much as you want him. And he’s out acting like the town stud to try and prove he doesn’t give a toss about what you’re up to, when all he really wants is to be with you.’

‘But he’s married to Crystal,’ Julia said unhappily.

‘Only in name; he can’t stand the bitch. You’re his _wife_ . . . the one he wants to be with. So I don’t understand why you don’t just sort it out,’ Draco said with frustration.

‘I told you why before. I didn’t want to do anything to make Crystal’s marriage more difficult than it was already going to be,’ Julia said miserably.

‘That was an okay excuse . . . for the first month or so. But nothing you do or don’t do is going to change my father’s relationship with Crystal. Don’t you understand that? So what is the point of continuing with this separation that makes you both so unhappy? It’s been almost eighteen months now.’

‘I told Ginny, I don’t want to be your father’s mistress. It’s all very well you telling me that he thinks of me as his wife, but I’m not and I won’t ever be again. The Ministry aren’t going to let us remarry if he separates from Crystal. They’ll just find another match for him until he finally impregnates one of them. It hurts enough to be in love with him without having to go through that every two years. I’m sorry, Draco, but I just can’t do it and it’s not fair of everyone to expect me to just because Lucius isn’t happy about the situation.’   

‘But it’s not just my father who isn’t happy, though, is it?’ Draco pointed out more gently. He looked at Julia, knowing that what he was saying wasn’t having any useful effect.

‘I’m not seeing him . . . and I don’t want to discuss it any further,’ Julia said unhappily.

‘All right, I won’t say anything more about that, but you are going to come to the wedding, aren’t you?’ Draco’s voice had become harder again.

Julia shook her head. ‘I can’t, Draco. I’m sorry, but if I come along I’ll just ruin everyone’s day by being a moping Minnie.’

Draco’s eyes narrowed angrily. ‘You’ll ruin Ginny’s day if you don’t come.’

‘No, I won’t. She’ll be so wrapped up in everything that’s happening she won’t have time to worry about whether I’m there or not.’

‘Of course she will. You’re family, Julia. When will you get that through your thick skull? We all care about you . . . and Ginny . . . look, we both want you to be there. Please, don’t be selfish over this,’ Draco said with a touch of pleading in his voice.

‘There will be plenty of family there,’ Julia said. She could feel the pain in her heart as she spoke the words, but as she thought of seeing Lucius with Crystal she knew she wouldn’t be able to cope and would probably end up making a complete fool of herself.

‘But not enough without you,’ Draco said sincerely.

Julia sighed and shook her head. ‘I just don’t think I can—’

‘Fine, it’s up to you . . . don’t come, then,’ Draco cut in, his mouth set in a thin, tight line of displeasure. ‘But don’t expect any support or sympathy from us in the future, Julia. If you want to be selfish, you go right ahead and be selfish . . . but you’re on your own from now on.’ He stood up and dropped his napkin on the empty plate. ‘Ginny really likes you,’ he added quietly. ‘She misses you so much.’

Julia could feel the tears forming in her eyes at Draco’s words. She really missed Ginny, too, and that separation was hurting almost as much as the one from Lucius.

‘I miss her, too,’ she admitted her voice thick with emotion.     

‘Then come to the wedding,’ Draco said once more. ‘Please come . . . for Ginny’s sake if for no other reason.’

Julia blinked, the tears now on her lashes. ‘All right,’ she whispered resignedly as she nodded her head. ‘I’ll come.’

Draco took her hand and squeezed it. ‘Thank you,’ he said sincerely.    


	8. Chapter 8

Julia went through her wardrobe at least a dozen times trying to find an outfit to wear to Ginny and Draco’s wedding, but nothing she tried on was suitable. This was not aided by the fact that every time she looked in the mirror she could see Crystal standing next to her, the tall, beautiful girl looking so much younger, thinner and sexier than she. Several lunchtime shopping trips followed, both with Bertha and Ginny, with whom she had once again started meeting up. But as the big day got ever closer, Julia’s despair at finding something to wear was almost becoming a bigger problem than the prospect of finally seeing Lucius again.

‘Well, I thought that multi-coloured dress you tried on in Monsoon the other day looked good on you,’ Bertha told her as Julia once again bemoaned the waste of a lunch break while the three women sat in Starbucks waiting for the sandwiches they had ordered to be delivered.

‘What was that like?’ Ginny asked interestedly.

‘It was bright — you know, purples, oranges, hot pink, sort of a paisley pattern, I think. Maxi-length with a round low cut neckline. It was nice, looked good on her. It was quite modern but not too Muggle, if you know what I mean.’ Bertha poured two packets of brown sugar into her coffee and stirred it.

‘That sounds nice,’ Ginny said. ‘Perhaps you should get that one.’

Julia snorted. ‘It made me look like a multi-coloured whale. No chance of fading into the background in that.’ She picked up her mug and blew on her chai latte.

‘That’s your criterion, is it,’ Bertha asked, ‘to fade into the background? You should have said. I’m sure there’s plenty of “old lady” beige out there. Perhaps you should just go for tweed and a cardigan and have done with it.’

‘Is this to do with Chandelier?’ Ginny asked bluntly. ‘Because if it is I’d forget about her and what she’s going to look like. We all already know she’s too skinny and pretty for her own good, but we can’t do anything about that. Just forget she exists and go for something you feel comfortable in.’

Julia sighed. ‘But that’s just the point. I haven’t felt comfortable in anything I’ve tried. I look like a sack of potatoes in a dress — everything lumps and bumps in the wrong places. There’s nothing out there . . . and believe me, I’ve looked.’

‘What about Madam Malkin’s, then?’ Ginny said. ‘She’s made you some fabulous clothes in the past, and they always fit perfectly. Why don’t you go and see her?’

Julia signalled as her name was called out and watched as a tall, thin boy with a rather ratty-looking face and shoulder-length, stringy hair came towards them carrying three plates.

‘Not being funny, Ginny, but my wages don’t exactly stretch to Madam Malkin couture. Primark is more my price range these days,’ Julia said a little stiffly. She looked dubiously at the three identical-looking toasted sandwiches the boy dumped on the table before walking off without saying a word. ‘Which is which?’

‘This is the steak one,’ Ginny said, carefully lifting the corner of the sandwich closest to her. ‘That’s yours, isn’t it, Bertha?’ She pushed the plate towards the other woman.

‘This is mine,’ Julia said peering at her plate. ‘Tuna cheese melt . . . I think.’

Ginny took a bite of the sandwich Bertha passed her way and nodded. ‘Ham, cheese, and mustard,’ she said, sounding satisfied.

They ate in silence. Julia was glad the food had arrived to get her out of having to discuss her finances any further. She didn’t want Ginny and Bertha to know how hard she was finding living on her own.

‘I was just thinking,’ Ginny said after she had finished her sandwich, a mouthful of hot chocolate washing down the final bite, ‘You could get a dress from Madam M and get Lucius to pay for it.’

Julia looked at Ginny in horror. She shook her head. ‘You’ve got to be joking, Ginny.’

‘I don’t see why not,’ Ginny persisted. ‘You know he’d buy it for you. He’d get you anything you want.’

‘It’s not happening,’ Julia replied adamantly. ‘Even if he would, I don’t want to end up being indebted to Lucius like that. I’m sure I can find something myself.’ She broke off and took a sip of her tea.

‘Can you?’ Ginny asked sceptically. ‘You haven’t exactly done that well so far, and not to put too fine a point on it, you’re running out of time.’

Julia sighed. ‘I know that, but I can’t use Madam Malkin’s.’ She looked at Ginny for a moment. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let you down.’

Ginny grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. ‘I know you won’t. And I know you’ll look great in whatever you choose. Are you still coming to the Burrow on Saturday?’

Julia nodded. ‘Of course I am. I’m not turning down the chance for a few free drinks. And it’ll give me an opportunity to get to know some people a bit better before the wedding.’

‘You don’t need to worry about that,’ Ginny replied confidently.  ‘I’ve put you with my family, so you’ll be well away from Lucius and Chandelier. You probably won’t even have to go anywhere near them and can just forget they’re even there.’

Julia had a feeling that would be easier said than done. Even if she kept as far away from the couple as possible she was still going to know they were there and feel uncomfortable about it. Especially if Crystal was looking as stunning as Julia suspected she would.

‘I’m sure it will be fine,’ she said, giving Ginny a small smile, determined not to worry her friend. ‘Unless I end up in a bin liner.’ She grinned.

‘Some bin liners can be very stylish,’ Ginny said. She smiled too.

‘Just as long as you get a good quality heavy-duty one,’ Bertha chipped in, ‘with the right accessories it could be the hit of the wedding.’

‘Ah, but then I wouldn’t want to outdo the bride . . . or make her jealous,’ Julia said, ‘so maybe I’d better stick to finding something a little more conservative . . . so that looks like the tweed’s back in the frame.’

Bertha looked at her watch. ‘We’ve got to go, Ju. It’s almost two and we’ve got to be back for D section’s meeting.’ She stood up and began to put on her coat as Julia drained the last of her tea. ‘If I don’t see you before, have a lovely wedding, Ginny. I can’t wait to see the photos.’ She smiled at the red-haired woman. ‘And don’t worry, the diva here _won’t_ be wearing tweed, I shall make sure of that.’

‘I just need to go to the loo,’ Julia said, grabbing her coat as she headed off towards the door signed for the bathrooms.

‘Do you think Julia will talk to Lucius . . . at the wedding, I mean?’ Bertha asked as she waited for Julia to return.

Ginny shrugged and sighed. ‘Gods, I really hope so. They’ve been apart for far too long. It’s completely mental when they’re still so much in love with each other.’

‘He’s not tried to make a go of it with the new one, then?’ Bertha asked interestedly.

Ginny snorted, ‘Not at all. He can’t stand her — neither can anyone else who’s met her, to be honest. She’s a complete gold-digger . . . and stupid as anything. Lucius tries to spend as little time with her as he can possibly get away with. She makes him pine for Julia even more.’

‘So why does Julia see her as such a threat, then?’ Bertha asked sounding confused.

‘I will admit she is incredibly beautiful,’ Ginny admitted with a sigh. ‘And she’s young, thin and got that model look about her. I think Julia seems to think that’s more Lucius type, when nothing could be further from the truth. He’s never been into younger women, at least not to have a proper relationship with. They don’t interest him much apart from what they’ll do for him sexually, and once they’ve done that he’s happy to discard them. Julia was just perfect for him and he completely adores her, even now — but I just can’t get her to give him a chance. She won’t even see him.’

‘Maybe at the wedding,’ Bertha said. ‘She won’t have much choice there, will she?’

‘I hope not,’ Ginny said. She stood up, putting on her own coat. ‘I understand that she’s unhappy about Crystal and that the Ministry of Magic will probably want to marry Lucius off to someone else once their two years is up. But Julia needs to recognise that he’s in love with her and that whatever the Ministry does, that will always be the case. They’ve both been miserable for so long because she’s being stubborn.’

‘Are you ready?’ Julia asked Bertha when she returned from the bathroom a couple of minutes later. She hugged Ginny tightly. ‘I’ll see you on Saturday.’

‘Good luck with the dress hunt,’ Ginny said, returning the hug. They released each other. ‘And enjoy the meeting,’ she added with a wicked grin as the women walked towards the door of the coffee shop.

‘Not much chance of that,’ Bertha retorted glumly. ‘Healer Smethwick’s in charge this afternoon so it’ll go on forever, probably.’

Julia groaned. ‘Oh, shit, I’d forgotten it was him otherwise I’d have had a double espresso instead of the chai. I’m going to have to doodle to stay awake now.’ She grabbed Bertha’s arm. ‘Come on, let’s go or we might never get out tonight.’

She waved at Ginny and followed Bertha out of the shop.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia was feeling sick. Her stomach was turning somersaults and she had the beginnings of what was shaping up to be a banging headache, which she knew was down to stress — the stress of being at Ginny and Draco’s wedding. From the moment she had walked through the door of Malfoy Manor she felt intensely uncomfortable, but after her promise to Draco she’d had no choice but to attend, even though she felt anything but in the mood for celebrating.

Moki opened the door to her and was quite clearly overjoyed at seeing her again, which gave her heart a twinge of pain at just how much she had missed the house and its inhabitants, even the house-elves. He directed her out into the garden where the wedding was to take place, and the whole time Julia panicked in case she bumped into Lucius.

However, it seemed he and the bimbo were otherwise engaged — her mind briefly envisaged the couple in the throes of passion but rejected it just as rapidly — and she made it through the house and out onto the sweeping lawn, now covered with a seating area created in readiness for the wedding, and a large marquee with its sides tied back where a band on a stage at the far end were currently playing a soft jazz number.

Julia looked around, feeling awkward and trying to find someone she knew well enough to join, not for the first time wishing that she had a few more friends. The only person she had spotted so far was Draco and he was surrounded by his friends, all male, talking and joking nervously as he waited for the ceremony to start. She could see Greg Goyle there, too, but she had little desire to talk to him, either. The last thing she needed at the moment was his flirty conversation.

She would have liked to speak to Ginny but knew that wasn’t going to be possible, surely the woman was having last-minute nerves of her own as she prepared for the biggest moment of her life, and she wouldn’t need her and her problems. But most of the women Julia had met at the bridal shower at the Burrow the week before were probably upstairs helping Ginny to get ready, and that left her at a bit of a loose end.

Julia didn’t feel confident enough to join an established group but standing alone made her obvious and vulnerable, especially if Lucius turned up. Panic began to rise again as she thought of her ex-husband and her eyes continued desperately scanning the groups to find anyone she knew.

Standing near to the marquee was a large group of youngsters who, with their red hair, were obviously related to Ginny. As she looked over at them Julia noticed that a young woman with long, pale blonde hair and dressed in yellow was waving at her. For a moment her heart stopped, thinking it was Crystal, but then she remembered that the woman, who she had met at the bridal shower, was called Luna and was a friend of Ginny’s.

Smiling, her heart pounding as it tried to regain its natural rhythm, Julia walked towards the group. She waved at Draco as she passed and he gave her a genuine smile. Luna was excited to see her and rapidly introduced her to the rest of the group who it turned out were, in the main, Ginny’s brothers and also, Julia was interested to discover, Harry Potter, who whilst very pleasant was completely disarming and gave no impression of being the hero she had read about in the newspapers.

Julia soon discovered that the rest of the Weasleys were just as friendly and were generally as wickedly funny as Ginny and they made her feel immediately welcome. Ginny’s oldest brother, Bill, who had obviously been very handsome before an accident that had left one side of his face badly scarred, introduced her to his wife, a pretty young French woman with a name perfect for her — Fleur — who Julia had also met at the bridal shower.

She was interested to meet the second oldest of the brothers, Charlie, who worked as a dragon keeper out in Romania, and was clearly totally in love with his job. He regaled them with stories about dragons, which had Luna in particular gasping with admiration. She also talked very briefly to the third brother, Percy, who was a bit stuffy and who she wasn’t at all surprised to find worked for the Ministry of Magic. His fiancée, Audrey, was a rather plain young woman but she seemed pleasant enough, although Julia couldn’t help wondering what it was she saw in Percy.

And then there was George, a good-looking man with a wicked sense of humour who she discovered was the proprietor of the massive joke shop in Diagon Alley, Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes. He was particularly good company and sat next to her when they took their places for the wedding, telling her all about his identical twin brother, Fred, who had died during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Julia felt intensely sorry for George and tried to imagine what it would be like to lose someone so much a part of you, then realised that was exactly what she had been through with Lucius — except that he was still alive, which in some ways was actually worse. George was upbeat about his loss, although he admitted that the first few years had been extremely difficult and he was only recently in a position to joke about it without getting upset.

The last brother was Ron, who Julia already recognised both from his escapades with Harry and Hermione against Voldemort and also because of his fame as a Quidditch player. She had expected him to be a little full of himself but was pleased to discover that he too was a pleasant young man who, like the rest of his family, appeared to be thoughtful and friendly.

She knew he hadn’t always been quite so thoughtful, though, as she remembered the stories Hermione had told her about him during the bridal shower. Hermione was Ron’s wife, and from what she had told Julia she had been in love with him throughout most of their time at school, although Ron, being a typical male, hadn’t realised for years. Hermione was currently with Ginny, carrying out her bridesmaid duties, while Ron waited downstairs with the rest of the family.

Julia was extremely grateful to Luna, who was decidedly odd but completely charming, for commenting on how nice her dress was when she was worrying about whether it was suitable for a wedding. Julia had finally bought a dress from the sale section of Marks and Spencer, two days before the wedding when desperation had forced her into making a snap purchase. Whilst it was definitely the best of the dresses she had tried on, she wasn’t completely confident that it was a good choice.

It was a mid-length floaty layered chiffon dress in white with a black pattern, sleeveless with a v-neck and back, with an empire line flaring skirt that did a good job of hiding her stomach. The dress had an extra piece in front that ran down the centre, which added an interesting focal point and lifted it out of the realm of a relatively boring garden party frock. She had teamed it with a black hat and mid-heeled sandals and interesting black, white, and silver jewellery, and a matching handbag finished the ensemble. Luna was so complimentary about it that Julia actually began to think it could compare favourably with the more obviously expensive gowns worn by many of the guests.

But then Lucius and Crystal entered the garden and all the confidence Julia had built up shattered and her stomach did another lurching somersault, leaving her with the urge to flee and also to throw up. Already impressively tall, Crystal wore gravity-defying high-heeled stiletto sandals that looked lethal and absolutely stunning. Her dress was an extremely short, one-shouldered tight-fitting sheath of pure gold covered with a diaphanous iridescent material that made her look like a beautiful and terrifying fairy queen. Her skin was tanned to a perfect golden-brown, her long pale blonde hair was flawlessly straight and flowing; the whole thing set off with chunky gold jewellery that Julia had absolutely no doubt was real.

Next to her Lucius was the perfect consort, immaculately dressed as always; the pale grey suit, the standard wedding garb for the men, fitting like a glove, the tailored frock coat buttoned over a forest green waistcoat and tie of a matching colour. His hair, too, was flowing and straight — they were the perfect couple presiding over the perfect wedding. Julia felt a catch in her throat and realised she had been holding her breath as the two of them walked imperiously down the carpet to take their place in the front row of chairs across from where Julia and the rest of her party were sitting.       

‘She thinks a lot of herself, doesn’t she?’ George muttered quietly as the couple walked past them. ‘How much do you reckon that lot cost? She must be draining Lucius dry.’ He grinned. ‘The poor man must be counting down the days until he can get rid of her. He got caught by one of those Ministry of Magic pairings, and from what I’ve heard he can’t stand her. Mind you, Ginny says she’s a real bitch. Do you know her at all?’

Julia shook her head, not sure she was able to speak or at least that she wouldn’t say anything nasty about the woman she detested more than anyone in the world.

‘Of course, he’s had three wives,’ George continued conversationally, ‘as well as a whole host of mistresses — I suppose it’s the money that attracts them all, although he isn’t bad-looking for his age. That’s his first wife, Narcissa, over there.’

He pointed towards another tall, willowy blonde wearing a blue dress and of a similar age to Julia, who had joined Draco and his friends and was steadfastly ignoring Lucius in a way Julia wished she could manage. She stared at Narcissa with interest. She was very expensively dressed, too.

‘I wonder where the other one is?’ George said, looking around to see if he could spot the missing wife. ‘I’m actually interested to meet her,’ he admitted, sounding excited. ‘She was a Ministry pairing too, but apparently, Lucius fell head over heels in love with her and didn’t want to give her up, or so Ginny told me. Imagine that — he was a Death Eater and yet he fell in love with a Muggle-born. That must have been tough . . . for both of them.’

_You have absolutely no idea_ , Julia thought, but still she said nothing, waiting to hear what else George was going to divulge.

‘I’m sure she’s supposed to be coming, too,’ George confided. ‘Apparently, she’s still in love with Lucius as well so she didn’t want to come — imagine how difficult that will be — but she’s really good friends with Ginny so felt she had to make an appearance even though it was going to break her heart to see Lucius with that slapper. It’s tragic if they really are still in love. Actually, it’ll be interesting to see how Lucius will react to seeing her. Ginny told me she’s refused point-blank to talk to him since their marriage was annulled, so this will be the first time they’ve seen each other in nearly two years — I wonder if they’ll still fancy each other?’

_Sadly, yes . . . for me, at least,_ Julia thought miserably. She was trying hard to focus on George to stop herself from looking at Lucius, which she knew would just hurt her.

George looked directly at Julia and smiled. ‘Well, I don’t know what she’s like but she’s got to be better than golden girl. She’s spent all that money and you look much nicer than she does. I bet you didn’t spend anywhere near as much as her.’

‘No, I _definitely_ didn’t. I got my outfit in the sales,’ Julia admitted with a laugh.

‘Well, you’d never know it. It looks lovely, really suits you,’ George complimented her with a grin, then he began looking around again. ‘I wonder if the other wife’s a blonde as well? There’s something creepy about all the Malfoys having the same colour hair.’

‘All you Weasleys have got red hair,’ Julia pointed out.

‘Only the actual family, though. We don’t go around marrying redheads. Honestly, if you get a chance, check out the portrait gallery upstairs in the west wing — there isn’t a single member of the Malfoy family who doesn’t have blonde hair. I think Ginny’s the first one in several centuries.’      

‘The other wife isn’t blonde,’ Julia said carefully.

George looked surprised, then interested. ‘Do you know her, then?’

Julia nodded. ‘It’s me,’ she said quietly.

George looked stunned, then horrified. ‘Oh, shit, I’m so sorry, Julia. You should have told me to shut up and not be a prat. Merlin’s pants, I talk some crap sometimes.’

Julia gave him a small smile. ‘You’re not a prat, George. You didn’t know who I was. Anyway, it was useful. I mean, I didn’t know who Narcissa was until you pointed her out, and it was interesting to hear your view of Crystal, not biased by knowing who I was.’

‘Well, I was right about you looking better than her. You definitely do,’ George said. ‘So is it true that you haven’t spoken to Lucius at all since you split up?’ He suddenly seemed to realise he might be touching on a difficult subject for Julia. ‘Shit, I’ve done it again. Sorry, ignore me. I’m just being nosey.’

Julia was surprised that George’s questions weren’t annoying her as much as she would have thought. She guessed it was because he wasn’t as invested in her relationship with Lucius as Ginny was and was therefore less likely to judge her behaviour in the way Ginny had. And if he was going to get the gossip, Julia might as well set him straight.

‘I haven’t even seen him until today,’ she admitted. ‘I am still in love with him and Ginny and Draco tell me he’s in love with me, too, but he’s married to Crystal and I can’t get involved in that.’

George looked at her sympathetically and took her hand. ‘Did it really hurt, seeing him walk in with her just now?’

Julia nodded. ‘She’s just so beautiful — completely stunning — and they make a really good-looking couple.’

‘You suit him better, though,’ George said sincerely. ‘But I understand your reluctance to be anywhere near him . . . at least while he’s married to her.’

‘I wish Ginny and Draco understood that,’ Julia said. ‘They keep trying to get me to go back to him. Everyone seems to think it would be fine for us to continue to have a relationship . . . but it’s not fine for _me_. I want to be with him all the time, not just occasionally, and that can never happen while he’s married to someone else.’

‘That’s a really tough one,’ George said softly. ‘I can see what everyone’s thinking — that because you love each other you should want to stay together regardless — but it’s such a hard thing to actually achieve, especially when you had all that and it was taken away.’ He squeezed Julia’s hand as he studied her intently. ‘You’ve done so well in coming here today. Bloody hell, it must be _really_ hard. I thought it was bad when I lost Fred — knowing that I’d never see him again, that part of me was gone forever — but this would be worse. Knowing that he was still alive but we couldn’t be together, that would be real hell.’

‘I just wish they wouldn’t keep trying to make me feel selfish for staying away from him,’ Julia said quietly. She could feel tears in her eyes and blinked to try to get rid of them. She wasn’t going to cry today. She had promised herself — no more crying over Lucius, especially in public. ‘I don’t think they understand just how much it hurts . . . and that it’s never going to get any better.’

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,’ George told her gently.

Julia shook her head and blinked again. She was having trouble shifting those blasted tears. ‘It wasn’t you,’ she assured him. ‘I was always going to be upset, nothing could stop that. But at least I’m not sitting here on my own and having to deal with it. I’ve got you to make me laugh with more of your witty observations.’

George gave her a wicked grin. ‘I’m at your service for as long as you need me, my lady,’ he assured her gallantly, then looked around at the assembled guests once more. ‘Oh, look, here come another couple of dog’s dinners,’ he said bitchily, pointing at Pansy Parkinson, wearing a hideous green flowery dress, who had just sat down next to Milicent Bulstrode, unwisely swathed in cerise, a few rows back on the groom’s side. ‘Yet more proof that all the money in the world doesn’t help to make you look good . . . although to be fair, Milicent would struggle in any circumstances.’

Julia slapped him playfully. ‘Stop it. Let’s play nice. The poor woman can’t help looking like that . . . although that colour really doesn’t go with her complexion.’

‘Spoilsport,’ George retorted, but he smiled as he said it.

‘I know what I meant to ask you,’ Julia said, tactfully changing the subject. ‘How did Percy turn out like he is? I mean, all you Weasleys are so witty and charming, and he’s . . . well, he’s . . . .’

‘Dull . . . pompous . . . a git?’ George supplied.

‘I was thinking stuffy but I guess those words would work just as well,’ Julia admitted. ‘And what does his girlfriend see in him?’

‘She’s just as dull as he is,’ George confided. ‘They make the perfect couple, actually. Percy’s always been a boring old git. He always was at school. He spent all his time aiming to be a Prefect and then Head Boy. It didn’t surprise anyone when he went into the Ministry of Magic.’ He frowned. ‘Actually, there was a bit of trouble with him when Voldemort first came back. We were all on Harry’s side, obviously, but Percy, prat that he is, sided with the Ministry instead. He ended up cutting himself off from us and it broke Mum’s heart. He came good in the end, but I still don’t trust the git. Percy’s only real interest is in Percy, and it always will be.’

‘Your poor mum,’ Julia said, thinking about Molly Weasley and the loss of her sons.

‘She got over it once he came back. Personally, I think she should have told him to bugger off for good. But she was missing Fred, and I suppose Percy’s better than nothing as far as she’s concerned.’

‘I don’t think missing your twin caused her to welcome Percy back,’ Julia said honestly. ‘She missed both of them equally, and at least she could get Percy back again.’ She looked at George, noticing his damaged ear, and thought of Bill. ‘She’s had to go through a lot, your mum — you didn’t come out of it unscathed.’ She indicated his ear. ‘Did you get that at the same time as . . . ?’ She broke off, not wanting to say.

George shook his head. ‘No, this happened earlier when we were trying to get Harry to a safe house. Professor Snape did it. He was trying to save Lupin’s life and caught me. It was an accident, although we didn’t know that at the time — we thought he was the enemy and I was just glad he didn’t kill me.’ He shrugged. ‘I don’t really notice it anymore.’

‘And Bill, what happened to him?’ Julia asked interestedly.

‘He was attacked by a werewolf,’ George said blithely.

‘A _werewolf?_ ’ Julia looked surprised. ‘Is he . . . ?’

George shook his head. ‘No. Fortunately, it wasn’t a full moon when he got bitten so he never turned. He just got that nasty scar and a taste for very rare steak. Mum was distraught at first because he was such a handsome chap before, but Fleur wanted to marry him anyway, so that helped, and once it became clear he wasn’t going to be a werewolf, Mum calmed down.’

‘Well, I think she’s done very well to keep it together considering the worry she must have had over you all.’ Julia looked around. Almost all the seats were filled now. ‘It must be due to start soon.’

George looked at his watch. ‘Five minutes . . . assuming Ginny gets her arse in gear.’ He chuckled. ‘Look at Draco. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him looking so nervous . . . or terrified. Mind you, if I was marrying Ginny I’d be terrified as well.’

Julia watched as Narcissa peeled away from her son’s side to take a seat a few rows back. She looked calm and collected and Julia was impressed; she wished she could be a bit more like that where Lucius was concerned. But then the difference was that Narcissa wasn’t in love with Lucius, had divorced him even, so she probably couldn’t care less about him or his bimbo wife. But Julia noticed that she still didn’t sit in the front row, even though as the mother of the groom she was perfectly entitled to do so, so she obviously didn’t feel that comfortable about being around her ex-husband.

Draco was walking towards the front accompanied by his best friend, Blaise Zabini, a tall, good-looking, dark-skinned man who she had met a few times and liked very much. Blaise smiled at her as they went past. Draco looked paler than normal, the stress evident on his face. Julia was sure he couldn’t focus on anyone at the moment, he was too worried about what was about to happen. Blaise took his arm and gently moved him into position, talking quietly to his friend as they waited.

Molly Weasley appeared now, accompanied by several other family members, and they hastened into their seats in front of where Julia and George were sitting. Molly turned round and beamed at Julia.

‘Hullo, Julia, it’s nice to see you made it. Ginny will be so pleased. I like your dress . . . very pretty. And I love that hat. I always mean to wear a hat but can never seem to find a decent one. Wherever did you get it?’

Julia leant forward to talk to Molly. ‘I got it from a Muggle shop called Marks and Spencer. It was in the sale. I like your dress. It’s a really pretty colour.’

Molly blushed at the compliment. ‘I thought I’d go with Ginny’s colour scheme. She and Draco have gone for their House colours, clothes-wise. Ginny’s wearing ivory, but she’s put Hermione in scarlet with gold jewellery. That bright red’s a bit young for me, though, so I went for maroon. It’s better on older skin and doesn’t clash with the hair quite so much.’ She looked up and smiled fondly. ‘Here we go.’

As if on cue, the band stopped playing the jazzy background music, turning instead to something more fitting for a wedding. The crowd fell silent and turned to watch as first Hermione, scattering red rose petals as she went, and then Ginny, holding onto her father’s arm, walked down the aisle towards the men waiting at the front.

Julia smiled. This was worth coming for. Regardless of what might still be to come, she was glad Draco had made her promise to come to the wedding and that she had made the effort. It was worth it just to see the look of happiness on Ginny’s face as she walked towards Draco. Julia found her heart beating faster as she gazed at them. She knew that look, just as she recognised the look Draco gave Ginny in return. It was the way she and Lucius used to look at each other, the look that said that as long as they were together everything was perfect with the world.

She turned her head for a moment and looked towards where Lucius was sitting, her smile faltering for a moment as a twinge of pain pulsed in her heart. Then she looked back at the soon-to-be-joined couple, the smile firmly back on her face.


	9. Chapter 9

Julia paled as she saw Lucius heading across the dance floor in her direction. She wondered if she would have time to get up and leave before he reached her but knew it wouldn’t do any good. Now that he had decided to seek her out he wouldn’t stop until he caught up with her; that was the sort of man he was. At least here, sitting with George, she had a bit of backup and she felt she could probably rely on the younger man to help her if Lucius got out of hand.

Until this moment the afternoon had been wonderful. The marriage service itself had been touching and romantic, and afterwards George and his brother Charlie had led Julia towards the marquee where tables were now set up for the wedding breakfast. They had entrenched her in the middle of what she thought of as the “Weasley area”, far away from the head table where Lucius and the bimbo were holding court with Ginny and Draco.

Narcissa was up there, too, along with her date, a man Julia didn’t recognise. They sat as far away from Lucius as they could manage and Julia couldn’t help feeling a little sorry for the woman as she didn’t look awfully happy. On the other side were Molly and Arthur along with Hermione and Ron, while Blaise and his girlfriend, a pretty brunette called Cynthia, made up the rest of the table.

Julia was pleased that George had deliberately seated them so their backs were to the head table, which meant that apart from when she turned round for the speeches she didn’t have to keep looking at Lucius throughout the meal. She couldn’t forget he was there, though, aided mainly by Crystal’s sharp laugh piercing the air every so often just to make sure she remembered. The meal was delicious and there was plenty of champagne and wine; eventually Julia began to relax and enjoy the reception and even managed, to some extent, to stop worrying about Lucius and his wife.

Once the meal was over the tables were moved once more, creating a dance floor in the centre of the marquee and Draco and Ginny took to the floor to engage in the first dance, quickly urging everyone else to join them. George offered to dance with Julia but she was enjoying just watching, the ambiance of the place in the oncoming twilight was making her relaxed. She smiled as twinkling fairy lights began to come on all around the garden as dusk fell, and the music seemed to capture the mood perfectly.

But now that calm was on the verge of being shattered by a confrontation with the one man in the world Julia didn’t want to see or speak to. And there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

‘Hullo, Julia,’ Lucius said, his voice warm and seductive as he stopped next to her seat. He gave her a small, polite bow as he spoke.

Julia fought to breathe as a mixture of feelings and emotions tore through her one after another — nausea, panic, light-headedness and the desire to run away all fighting with that age-old favourite, betrayal — and on top of that, overwhelming everything else, was a massive wave of desire for the gorgeous man for whom she still felt so much love.

‘Hullo, Lucius.’ Julia could hear the quaver in her voice as she tried to stay calm. Whatever happened, she couldn’t lose control, couldn’t make an idiot of herself in front of all these people.       

Lucius extended his hand, the smile on his face warm and charming as he gazed at her avidly. ‘Will you dance with me?’ he asked quietly, his voice sounding hopeful.

Julia wanted to say no — wanted nothing to do with him, wanted to run away — but she was aware it would be impolite to do so and also that there was a great deal of interest in her and Lucius from around the marquee and she didn’t want to give the gossipmongers anything further to tattle about. She looked at him without speaking for a moment.

‘Please?’ he added.

After a quick glance at George, who was watching Lucius carefully, and still without speaking, Julia nodded. Standing up, she took Lucius’ hand and he led her towards the dance floor and was soon whisking her around effortlessly. Lucius was a good dancer, far better than she, but he always made her feel like she could dance and this time was no exception. Initially stilted and straight-backed, her stomach clenching and unclenching with panic, the rhythm embraced Julia and the smooth moves became easier as she relaxed into Lucius’ arms.

On and on the couple twirled, Julia attempting to lose herself in the music and the flow, determined not to think about the man who was holding her, the man she had missed so much. As the song finished she began to pull away, intending to go and sit down, her duty done but Lucius wouldn’t release her, and as the next song began she found herself enfolded even more tightly in his arms.

‘Gods, it feels so good to hold you again,’ Lucius said honestly, his voice a soft whisper in her ear. ‘I’ve missed you so much, my love. You have no idea . . . .’

Julia didn’t say anything. She couldn’t trust herself to speak. She wasn’t sure whether what would come out would be a pathetic admission of her desire for him and agreement at how good it felt to be in his arms or something far more acidic and hurtful. It was easier to say nothing and hope he would stop talking to her.

‘I don’t understand why you’ve kept away from me for so long,’ Lucius said after they had danced for another few minutes, seemingly unable to keep quiet. ‘You must have known how much I wanted to see you.’

‘Oh, Lucius, you know why I haven’t seen you,’ Julia said exasperatedly. ‘Nothing’s changed since you got married to Crystal. I can’t be with you while you’re with her.’

‘But that’s bloody stupid. You love me, don’t you? And I certainly love you, so why fight it? We should be together, Julia . . . please, let me love you,’ Lucius pleaded.

Julia shook her head and looked at Lucius sadly. ‘You’ve got a wife, Lucius.’

‘Yes, you — you’re my wife,’ Lucius stated adamantly. ‘I told you that on our anniversary. I don’t accept anyone else as my wife, _not ever_ — only you, my love.’ When she didn’t reply he added, ‘There are only another three months and then I’m free.’

‘But you won’t be, will you?’ Julia pointed out unhappily. ‘You’ll get rid of Crystal and the Ministry will pair you with someone else. That’s what they do. And then it’ll be another two years, and so on, ad infinitum. I can’t do that — you know I can’t, Lucius. As much as I love you, it’s too hard to be near you. It has to be over between us . . . it just has to.’

‘I don’t believe you can do that to us,’ Lucius said. ‘What’s the point in us both continuing to be miserable apart when we could be so happy together?’

Julia sighed but she didn’t respond. There was no point. It was an unwinnable argument that just drew out the same comments again and again. For a while they continued dancing silently, but then Lucius pulled her even closer, crushing her to him as his lips brushed against her hair, then down further, over her cheek — whisper-soft touches that made Julia’s heart flutter.

‘I want to kiss you,’ he said, his voice low and full of desire. ‘I need to kiss you, Julia.’

‘No!’

Julia’s heart was thumping as she blurted it out, and she began pushing and wriggling, trying to get out of Lucius’ grasp. He pulled her towards him again and one of his hands found her face and caressed her cheek as he looked at her in surprise at her outburst.

‘Let go of me, Lucius,’ Julia begged. ‘Please don’t do this.’

‘I just want to kiss you. Why are you being so difficult?’ Lucius asked, as if it was the most reasonable request in the world and he couldn’t understand why she was turning him down.

His head moved, his lips heading for hers, and Julia pulled her head back, turning it so he couldn’t do as he wanted.

‘Stop it, Lucius,’ she hissed, her voice low and desperate now. ‘We can’t do this. You’re married.’

‘I don’t care about that,’ Lucius responded loudly and belligerently. ‘You know I couldn’t care less about her. It’s you I love.’

‘But she’s your wife. What do you think everyone will think?’

‘Everyone already knows how I feel, including her,’ Lucius said, ‘so I don’t understand what the problem is.’

‘Now is really not the time for this,’ Julia growled. ‘Not now. Honestly.’

‘Of course it is,’ Lucius said, his voice more seductive now. ‘I’ve had to wait almost two years for this moment.’

‘It’s your son’s wedding,’ Julia reminded him sharply. ‘Whilst you might not care about setting off the gossipmongers, I do — and I have more respect for Ginny and Draco than to create a spectacle that will overshadow what should be the best day of their lives. Now please, let me go, Lucius.’    

‘I really think you’re overreacting about this,’ Lucius said, and he tried once more to kiss her.

Again Julia pulled her head away, this time twisting more urgently in an attempt to escape Lucius’ hold completely. She was beginning to get distressed now, uncomfortable and unhappy about what he was trying to do, and she no longer wanted to dance with him. But Lucius still wasn’t letting her go. Her stomach twisted as panic began to rise in her. She didn’t want this to get out of hand.

‘Do you mind if I cut in, Father? It’s about time I danced with Julia,’ Draco said smoothly. He held out his hand to Julia, leaving Lucius with no option but to cede her to him. Smiling coldly, he put her hand into Draco’s.

‘Look after her, Draco. You know she’s very precious to me,’ Lucius said, then he turned to stare at Julia. ‘I’ll dance with you again later, my love, once my son’s finished. You’re not getting away from me that easily.’  

‘Are you all right?’ Draco asked worriedly once they had put some distance between themselves and Lucius. He had seen her becoming distressed and knew he had to step in before his father did something catastrophic.

‘I’ll live,’ Julia told him. ‘But I don’t want your father kissing me in the middle of the dance floor at your wedding reception. This is already hard enough without him causing a scene.’

‘He’s just so happy to see you,’ Draco said. ‘I don’t think he really believed you would turn up. He didn’t know we’d had our little chat.’

‘That’s no excuse for inappropriate behaviour.’ Julia said tartly. ‘Anyway, his wife’s over there.’

‘In name only,’ Draco reminded her.

‘She’s still his wife, though, Draco, and that makes trying to kiss me a big no-no, especially when we’re celebrating your wedding. I don’t want the day to end up being remembered by everyone for that.’

‘Well, perhaps you should take a walk with him, go and _discuss_ things elsewhere,’ Draco suggested with a smile.

Julia sighed, then said sadly, ‘That’s not going to happen, either. I’m not going anywhere or doing anything with your father and that’s final. And once tonight is over I don’t even want to hear his name mentioned. I just want to forget that he even exists and get on with my life. He’s just going to have to accept that it’s over. The sooner he does that, the sooner he’ll have a successful marriage.’

‘He had a successful marriage,’ Draco pointed out bluntly. ‘But the Ministry of Magic robbed him of it. You can hardly blame him for being unhappy.’

Julia looked into Draco’s eyes. ‘We’re both unhappy, Draco, but unlike your father I’m not willing to settle for an affair. I need all or nothing . . . and yes, I know everyone thinks that’s selfish, but I have to think about myself and that’s what _I_ need to be happy. Nothing else will do.’

‘I just wish there was some way to sort this out,’ Draco said glumly. ‘It would help if the bloody Ministry didn’t keep marrying him off. Perhaps we can arrange a wedding for the two of you as soon as his annulment comes through.’

Julia gave a bitter laugh. ‘Not a chance, I’m afraid. They won’t even let him leave the office before pairing him off with the new wife. That’s how he ended up with Crystal. They already had her waiting outside. They just needed me to leave the office . . . and Lucius convinced me I should wait outside for you and Ginny while he tried to talk them round.’

‘My father had no idea they were going to do that,’ Draco said forcefully. ‘He would never have let you leave if he’d had any idea they were going to strong-arm him into another marriage. You do know that, don’t you, Julia?’

Julia sighed. ‘Yes, I know that he didn’t know. But it doesn’t change the fact that he ended up re-married, and that’s exactly what will happen next time. There’s no way to stop it and no chance of a life with him for me, and so the only way to get through that is to forget about him completely.’

‘You won’t be able to do that,’ Draco predicted confidently. ‘You love him as much as he loves you. Eventually, you’ll get drawn back together. It’s karma.’

‘Well, it’s not happening in this lifetime,’ Julia said morosely. ‘Please, can you keep your father away from me for the rest of the evening? Otherwise, I’m going to go home. I don’t want a repeat of his earlier behaviour.’

‘All right, I’ll keep him away from you for tonight,’ Draco said, looking and sounding disappointed. ‘But I can’t promise anything for the future. I’m not getting involved in that.’

‘That’s good enough,’ Julia said, although she didn’t sound very happy.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Draco was as good as his word: Lucius went nowhere near Julia for the rest of the evening, although she saw him watching her. She recognised the expression on his face, a mixture of longing and desire, the same one she knew her own face held whenever she looked at him. She danced with George and then with Charlie and even had one dance with Greg, then, as the music became faster and more modern, she joined Ginny and her girlfriends for more dancing, which was really more chatting than anything. But all the while she could feel Lucius’ eyes on her, watching her every move. And he wasn’t the only one.

It wasn’t long before she realised that Crystal was watching her, too, avidly keeping an eye on what Julia was doing and who she was doing it with. There had already been a slightly embarrassing moment earlier in the evening when during a break in the music Crystal had asked Julia very loudly and bluntly why she was there when she was no longer anything to do with the Malfoy family.

Draco and Ginny had both angrily informed the woman in no uncertain terms that not only was Julia still family as far as they were concerned but that she was also a good friend to both of them and would have merited an invitation because of that alone. It was also made perfectly clear to the detestable woman that the only reason Crystal was at the wedding was because she lived at Malfoy Manor and they couldn’t stop her from attending.

Julia knew the crowd of onlookers had been hoping that she would weigh in and a fight between her and Crystal would ensue, hopefully with intervention from Lucius. But fortunately, he was kept well away from the argument and was unaware until later that it had even taken place, and Julia chose to keep a dignified silence which she was sure gave her the win. But later that evening Julia was drawn into conversation with Crystal by accident.

‘I really don’t know why you’re still here,’ Crystal said, sounding bored. She had wandered over to stand next to Julia while the older woman was watching the youngsters all taking part in some mad dance that she didn’t know the moves to, and was carefully making sure not to look at Julia while she talked. ‘Surely you’d be better off at home alone celebrating your angst-fest . . . the terrible tragedy of your doomed love with Lucius.’ She looked at Julia and smiled sweetly, but there was a hard look in her eyes.

‘At least I’m welcome here,’ Julia replied, her own voice as sweet as she could make it with a smile to match. ‘You must be pretty thick-skinned under all that fake tan, Crystal because everyone seems to hate you, and Draco and Ginny certainly don’t want you here.’

‘Maybe they don’t, but they don’t have any choice in the matter,’ Crystal told her. ‘Malfoy Manor is _my_ home now, and if they want to continue coming here they’re going to need to change their ideas.’ She looked critically at Julia, ‘and their friends.’

Julia gave a sharp bark of a laugh. ‘What, you’re going to stop them from coming here because they’re friends with me? Dream on, Crystal. Your time here is limited . . . it’s coming to an end. In three months’ time you’ll be in the same position as me, except that Lucius won’t be in love with you and won’t give a damn what happens to you. His love is my curse, unfortunately.’ 

Crystal gave a cold, mocking laugh. ‘I think you’re the one who’s going to be disappointed, love. I won’t be going anywhere. Malfoy Manor and Lucius’ lovely money are going to be mine forever and there’s not a bloody thing you can do about it.’

‘But that’s not possible,’ Julia said. ‘Unless . . . .’ She broke off, looking at Crystal in astonishment.

Once again the woman gave that saccharine-sweet smile. ‘That’s right, love, I’m pregnant.’ She let the bombshell drop for a couple of seconds, then added, ‘I’m giving Lucius what you never could, Julia. I’m not _defective_ like you. It was worth him fucking me all those times — we’re going to have a baby.’

Julia felt as if Crystal had just punched her in the stomach. She couldn’t help her sharp gasp of shock; the pain in her heart was worse than it had ever been as she suddenly realised that there was now really never any chance of her and Lucius getting back together. Crystal had done what she had never been able to and conceived a child so she would remain Lucius’ wife for the rest of her life. Julia had to fight hard not to let out a sob of anguish and to fight back the tears that were threatening.

‘So you might as well toddle off home. Now you’ve really got something to be upset about,’ Crystal continued nastily.

‘Perhaps I don’t believe you,’ Julia retorted, trying to regain her composure. ‘It’s funny how this has just come out now, when we’re talking.’

‘Oh, but I was waiting to tell _you_ specially,’ Crystal told her with a smirk. ‘I found out the day before yesterday and I thought you’d _love_ to be the first person to know, having had problems in that area yourself. I was so sure you’d be pleased for us.’

‘You really are a bitch,’ Julia said honestly.

‘Of course I am, but I’m also a pregnant one who’s married to the man you love,’ Crystal replied, her smile positively evil now.

Julia wasn’t sure how she managed to stop herself from attacking the smug woman who had just completely ruined her life forever. She took a deep breath, counting to ten in her mind as she tried to calm down.

‘Well . . . congratulations,’ she said in her sweet voice again. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go and see some _friends_ of mine.’ She walked away in as dignified a manner as she could manage.

‘Are you okay?’ George asked worriedly when she returned to the table to retrieve her handbag. ‘I saw you talking to the golden girl. What did she want?’

‘Oh, she was just trying to ruin my evening,’ Julia said trying to keep her voice light although she wasn’t sure she succeeded. ‘Unfortunately, she did a pretty good job,’ she admitted. ‘I think I’m going to go home. I’m not really in the mood to party anymore.’

‘Are you sure?’ George asked. ‘Do you need someone to take you home to make sure you get there safely?’

Julia shook her head. ‘No, I’ll be fine thanks, George. I’ll Apparate once I get outside the grounds.’ She gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. ‘It was so lovely to meet you. Thank you so much for being my companion today. You were absolutely brilliant.’

‘So were you,’ George told her honestly. ‘And I still think you were really brave to come in the first place. Come and see me the next time you’re in Diagon Alley. I’ve always got the kettle on.’

‘I definitely will,’ Julia promised with a smile.

She gave him a small wave as she headed off to find Ginny and Draco to say goodbye, her mind racing with what she had been told and her soul wracked with pain that she was trying very hard to keep under control. She made her way over to where the couple were talking to a group of their friends, trying to ignore the smug look on Crystal’s face as she went. She was annoyed that the woman was aware she had upset her, but she hadn’t been able to hide her shock at the news of the pregnancy and it had left her in more pain than ever.

‘I’m just about to go home so I thought I’d pop over and say thank you for a lovely day,’ Julia told them, trying to keep her voice light.

‘You’re going already?’ Ginny said, sounding disappointed. ‘Is something wrong?’

Julia shook her head, but the whole time all she could hear were Crystal’s ringing words telling her she was pregnant.

‘My father hasn’t been any more trouble, has he?’ Draco asked worriedly, staring at the obviously unhappy woman. ‘I did warn him not to go near you and he agreed, although I will admit he wasn’t very happy about it.’

‘No, it’s not Lucius,’ Julia replied. _At least not directly_ , she thought.

‘I saw you talking to Chandelier just now,’ Ginny said. ‘She didn’t say or do anything, did she? I don’t want that bitch ruining my wedding by upsetting my friends.’

Julia went to shake her head, but again Crystal’s words came back, mocking her with their content and she looked miserably at her friends.

‘The lady of the manor isn’t terribly pleased at my being here and she wanted to point out that this is her home now, not mine.’

‘Not for much longer,’ Draco said. ‘She’ll be out on her ear in three months’ time. And let’s face it, it can’t come a day too soon.’

Julia shook her head. ‘Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen now,’ she said quietly. ‘Mrs Malfoy has just informed me that she is expecting Lucius’ baby and so she will be hanging on to both the Manor and all of Lucius’ money.’

‘That’s got to be a wind-up, surely?’ Draco said sounding shocked. ‘She was just trying to get a rise out of you. My father would never—’ He broke off as Julia continued to shake her head.

‘In order for the marriage to be annulled after two years there has to have been regular attempts to conceive . . . and I don’t mean once a year. Lucius would have had no choice but to try, and it seems to have worked. As Crystal so kindly pointed out, she isn’t defective like me,’ Julia told them bitterly.

Ginny grabbed hold of Julia’s hand and stroked it comfortingly, knowing how unhappy this would make her. ‘But maybe she’s lying. Her obvious intention was to hurt and upset you as she tried to do earlier, and now she’s achieved that.’ She looked over at the golden woman who was still grinning maliciously. ‘I wouldn’t believe a word she says.’

‘I think it’s true,’ Julia said unhappily. ‘I accused her of winding me up, but she told me she found out a couple of days ago. She said she had been waiting, just so she could give _me_ the good news. She knew how much it would hurt me.’

‘Well, it’s not going to change anything,’ Draco said. ‘My father’s still going to detest her even if she is pregnant. There’s never going to be a real marriage between those two.’

‘He’s not going to have any choice,’ Julia pointed out. ‘There won’t be an annulment now and she’s already made it clear that she expects me to disappear from the lives of the Malfoys.’

‘Well, that’s not going to happen, either,’ Ginny replied adamantly.

Julia sighed. ‘It will, Ginny. To be honest, I had already decided I can’t ever see Lucius again anyway, but Crystal’s made it clear that if you two expect to be able to come here to spend time with him in future you’ll need to change your friends to more suitable people . . . and that most definitely doesn’t include me.’ 

‘We are not dropping you as a friend because of that bitch,’ Ginny said stoutly.

‘My father will never let her get away with that,’ Draco added.

‘But it doesn’t matter, don’t you see?’ Julia asked, beginning to get upset again. ‘Although I’ve always said there was no future with Lucius, that wasn’t quite true. While he was only going through two years with Crystal there was still the tiniest glimmer of hope that things might one day work out for us . . . just the smallest spark that I’ve kept buried deep within my heart. But now Crystal’s pregnant and Lucius will be married to her forever, with no hope of escape. That final minuscule spark has just been extinguished and I no longer have any hope. I can’t bear to be anywhere near him knowing there can never be anything between us . . . and yes, I know you think we could have a relationship anyway, but I can’t. You know that has never been an option for me.’

‘You can’t just let her win,’ Draco said darkly.

‘She already has,’ Julia replied, sounding resigned. ‘And now I need to go home. I can’t face being anywhere near her . . . or Lucius for that matter. It hurts too much and I don’t want to embarrass myself by acting stupidly in public, which I can guarantee I will at some point if I stay.’ She squeezed Ginny’s hand, which she was still holding. ‘I’ll contact you once you get back from your honeymoon. Things will have calmed down by then and we’ll know better how the land lies.’

‘I already know how it lies,’ Draco told her staunchly. ‘My father hates her, is in love with you and will be absolutely furious to discover she’s pregnant.’

Julia shrugged. ‘That may well be true but he’ll have to get used to it and change his views on both of us.’

‘He’ll go off the rails even more,’ Draco warned. ‘I know what he’s like.’

‘Then you’ll need to be ready to help him.’ Julia said sensibly. ‘I really need to go now.’

She hugged both Draco and Ginny, then looked at them appraisingly. ‘You both looked gorgeous up there today. It was such a lovely ceremony and a great reception . . . oh, and your brothers are brilliant, Ginny.’ She grinned.

‘What, even Percy?’ Ginny asked, sounding surprised.

Julia chuckled. ‘Well, maybe not him so much . . . but George and Charlie more than make up for him. Right, I’m off. Have a great time in Tuscany. I’m very jealous!’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Julia had almost made it to the front door when she was stopped by Lucius, the last person in the world she wanted to see at that moment.

‘Are you leaving?’ he asked, looking unhappy. His voice was low and very dark.

‘Yes. It’s been a good day but I really need to go home now.’

‘I was hoping to spend a bit of time with you before you left,’ Lucius admitted.

‘You know you weren’t supposed to come anywhere near me,’ Julia replied. ‘I told Draco to keep you away from me and he said he would.’

‘Do you really think he would be able to stop me?’ Lucius asked with bitter amusement. ‘I allowed him to separate us earlier as I knew you were getting distressed and didn’t want to embarrass you.’ He indicated towards his office. ‘Will you at least come and have a drink with me before you leave?’

Julia shook her head. ‘I don’t think there’s any point in prolonging this, Lucius. There’s nothing either of us can say that hasn’t already been said.’

Lucius took hold of her hand, looking at it as he gently stroked it. ‘I don’t want you to go, Julia — not now and not ever. I want to be with you. I want to love you — I do love you.

‘And I love you, Lucius,’ Julia whispered. She could feel tears prickling at her eyes and was desperate for them not to fall. ‘But I can’t be with you.’

‘Don’t leave me, please,’ Lucius begged, his own voice breaking now.

‘I’m sorry, but I have to,’ Julia replied. ‘You should be with your wife, try to make a go of things with her.’

Lucius’ head shot up to glare at her. ‘I told you, she’s not my wife, and in three months time she won’t be anything more than a nasty memory.’

‘But she is your wife, Lucius. She’s having your baby.’ Julia just about managed to stop the sob that almost erupted as she told Lucius the thing that was breaking her heart.

‘But that’s not possible,’ Lucius whispered. He sounded and looked completely devastated.

‘I’m afraid it is. She found out a couple of days ago.’ Julia let go of Lucius’ hand. ‘I’m sorry, Lucius, but there will be no annulment now.’

Lucius stood there still in shock as Julia opened the front door and stepped through it. She looked back sadly.

‘Goodbye, Lucius.’

The door closed and for several long minutes Lucius stood where he was before managing to pull himself out of his stunned torpor. Realising that Julia had gone, he opened the door and ran down the drive, catching up with her just before she reached the gate.

‘Julia . . . wait . . . please.’

Julia stopped and turned to look at him. There were tears streaming down her face that she was doing nothing to stop.

‘What do you want, Lucius? Go back to your wife.’

‘ _You’re_ my wife. How many times do I have to tell you that?’ Lucius replied desperately.

Julia began to crumple. Lucius grabbed hold of her and pulled her to him as she sobbed into his shoulder, stroking her back soothingly.

‘I don’t want to let you go,’ he told her, his voice stilted with emotion.

‘You have to,’ Julia whispered.

‘No, I don’t. You’re upset because of what that bitch said. Leave it a few days and then let me come to see you. We can talk about things properly.’

Julia shook her head and pulled back from him. ‘There’s no point,’ she said morosely. ‘Nothing’s going to change. You’re still married to Crystal and she’s still pregnant . . . and I’m still not willing to have an affair with you. I’m sorry.’

Lucius sighed. ‘Well, at least tell me where you live.’

‘What’s the point? I don’t want you coming to see me. That’s the last thing I need at the moment,’ Julia said, sounding distraught.

Lucius stared at her as if seeing into her soul. ‘Please don’t end it like this,’ he said quietly. ‘Don’t just walk away.’

‘I have to,’ Julia told him, her face wet with tears. ‘Please let me go, Lucius.’

Lucius looked at her for a few seconds more, then he nodded and released her. He watched as Julia walked to the gate and opened it. She didn’t look back — she didn’t dare. She was already in so much pain and she couldn’t bear to see the look of despair on Lucius’ face.

‘Goodbye, my love,’ Lucius whispered as, once outside the boundary of Malfoy Manor, Julia Disapparated.

Lucius walked slowly back up the drive towards the house, intending to go to his office and get completely slaughtered. His last chance at winning Julia back had just disappeared in a trail of tears, and if what she had told him was true the silly little bitch he was bonded to had got herself pregnant. He could feel the old anger rising within him and he had no desire to quell it. Once in his office he poured a generous measure of brandy and settled down in an armchair, looking dejectedly at the empty fireplace.

For twenty months he had waited for Julia to come back to him, forced by Draco and Ginny to overcome his usual domineering nature and let her make the first move. From the moment she left Malfoy Manor Lucius’ only desire had been to bring her back home. There had been many times he had attempted to do just that but he was always thwarted by his son and his fiancée, who had time and again warned him off going to find her, assuring him that once she’d had time to consider it properly Julia would realise they were supposed to be together, whatever the Ministry of Magic threw at them.

But Julia had never come back to him, hadn’t even made any attempt to see or speak to him, and as the months went on his anger with her had grown. She was just one of many people he was angry with after the forced break-up of his marriage. The child the blasted Ministry of Magic had paired him with was an annoying little gold-digger, but at least he was pretty much able to forget she existed most of the time. But nothing he did — and over the months he had tried just about everything from drugs to hardcore sexual fetishes — had made him forget the woman he had fallen in love with. And none of it had made him any happier, either.

As he slowly counted down the days until he would finally be free of Crystal forever he had begun to realise that he would do absolutely anything to get Julia back; that nothing would be beyond him if he could just be with her again. When he had discovered she had returned to the idiot she had been with before their marriage, a whole new layer of anger had overtaken him. Draco had needed to work particularly hard to stop him from going to hex the bastard, pointing out that a long stretch in Azkaban and the title of murderer was going to do nothing to help win back his wife.

Lucius had hoped but not had much expectation of Julia attending the wedding, understanding deep inside himself that her desire to keep away from him overrode any friendship with Ginny and Draco. But when he had seen her, sitting with one of Ginny’s brothers, he had been at first angry and then overjoyed and could think only of holding her, kissing her, finally making love to her again — and he had made a fool of himself and upset her in the process. He had been overbearing, possessive . . . and incredibly stupid.

Once again Draco had cautioned him and one last time he had retreated, but now she was gone for good and his life had just taken a nose-dive. He downed the rest of the brandy in one mouthful, enjoying the pain the liqueur gave as it worked its way down his body. Standing, he poured another brandy, taking a large gulp of it before refilling the glass a third time. He leant against his desk, once more thinking of Julia.

He realised he was crying, silent tears rolling down his cheeks as his heart contracted and twisted. Even though she had avoided him, even when she had returned to her former lover, Lucius had been sure that eventually they would be together once more. But she had walked away from him, had left him for good, and he was never going to see her again.

He dropped the now-empty glass on the desk with a heavy thud. Julia had refused to tell him where she lived, but someone knew. Draco and Ginny had always pretended they had no idea where Julia was staying, but suddenly Lucius knew that wasn’t true. At least one of them knew and they were going to tell him . . . and he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.   

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Draco watched with worry as his father stormed into the marquee, looking furious. He was sure he knew why he was angry. Julia had left and she had obviously told him Crystal’s news before she went. Draco still wasn’t sure that Crystal really was pregnant, preferring to think that she was just a vindictive bitch — otherwise the future was going to be unbearable — but he was worried about what his father was going to do. His last chance for happiness seemingly gone, Draco knew Lucius was capable of doing just about anything.

Ignoring the still smirking Crystal completely, Lucius searched for and found Ginny, who was talking to her family. He stalked across the dance floor towards her, not taking any notice of anyone else in the marquee. His entire focus was on his daughter-in-law and what she could tell him.

‘Are you all right, Lucius?’ Ginny asked, looking worried as he reached her. She could tell from the glacial expression on his face and the sharp look in his eyes that he was in a foul mood and she could hazard a guess why.

‘Where does Julia live?’

‘What?’ Ginny was thrown by the question and didn’t know what to say. She knew Julia would never forgive her if she gave Lucius her address.

‘You know where she lives. Tell me.’ Lucius’ voice was commanding and cold.

Ginny shook her head. ‘I’m sorry but I can’t tell you, Lucius. If she wanted you to know she would have told you herself.’

Lucius felt his temper rising and with the alcohol fuelling his rage he grabbed Ginny’s arm painfully and pulled her to him, shaking her hard.

‘Tell me where she is,’ he insisted in a hiss, his face an inch from hers.

‘What do you think you’re doing, Father?’ Draco asked angrily as he pulled the irate man away from his wife. He glared at Lucius. ‘Leave Ginny alone. Hurting her isn’t going to help you get Julia back.’

He turned to Ginny, asking solicitously, ‘Are you okay, love?’ Ginny nodded her head but looked rather upset.

Lucius had the decency to look a little ashamed at his behaviour but it lasted only a moment. His rage had no intention of being quelled. ‘She knows where Julia lives,’ he told his son bullishly. ‘I need to know.’

Draco looked evenly at his father, attempting to calm himself before he spoke. He knew that one wrong step now could mean the entire wedding being ruined.

‘Yes, she does,’ he acknowledged quietly and as calmly as he could manage, ‘but she promised Julia she wouldn’t tell you and it’s not fair of you to try and force her . . . especially at our wedding reception. Now calm down and be sensible.’

Lucius looked furious and his voice was full of ice-cold steel. ‘I’ve had enough of being sensible and I’ve had enough of listening to your advice; telling me time and again to wait. I’ve waited for almost two years now and what has it got me? Absolutely bloody nothing — that’s what. The woman I love has walked out on me again and I need to see her. I need to do something this time. I can’t just let her go without a fight, Draco.’ He turned away for a moment running his hand through his hair in exasperation. Then, much more quietly but with despair, he added, ‘So please, if you know where she lives, just tell me.’

Draco looked at Ginny, who looked unsure, but after a few seconds of thought she gave a small shrug.

Draco sighed. ‘Okay, I’ll take you to where she lives. But if she doesn’t want to see you, you have to promise me that you will leave her alone and not bother her again.’

‘Anything,’ Lucius said readily, his heart suddenly beating faster at the thought of seeing Julia again. ‘Let’s just go . . . now . . . please?’

Draco kissed Ginny. ‘I have to do this, darling. I won’t be long,’ he said, sounding regretful.

She gave him a small smile and gently stroked his cheek, signalling her understanding.

‘Come on, then,’ he said to Lucius in resignation. ‘Is there anywhere in the grounds we can Apparate from?’

Lucius nodded and took his son’s arm. ‘This way,’ he said, and led him out of the marquee.


	10. Chapter 10

Julia Apparated directly into her bedroom and collapsed on the bed in a flood of tears, unable to stand as grief overwhelmed her. For a long time she lay almost immobile, curled up with her arms around herself, the sobbing doing nothing to make her feel better. Eventually, the tears stopped. She seemed to have cried herself out, although the pain driving the tears was still there, something she was sure was never going to leave her.

But in time, that too lessened, and although she felt tender and bruised inside, the sharp stabbing pains and the cannonball in her stomach had disappeared. With the cessation of the pain a new kind of clarity emerged, one that was completely unwelcome but that had to be faced. The realisation that the one tiny, fragile thread of hope she had been clinging to for the last twenty months had been cut, setting her irrevocably adrift from Lucius, was overshadowed by something more troubling.

She had always known her immediate reaction to Lucius’ marriage to Crystal was born of the betrayal she felt at his apparent ease at accepting the Ministry’s ruling, and her confused feelings about the reason behind his actions had stemmed from that aching loss which had engulfed her and made her unable to think clearly.

But although she had spent almost two years avoiding Lucius and telling anyone who would listen that she wanted nothing to do with him, seeing him at the wedding made her realise that she had been fooling herself, and more badly than she had understood. It had become clear that her anger towards her ex-husband and the pain she had nurtured deep inside since their spilt didn’t stem from either the fact of his re-marriage or his apparent desire to continue their relationship when she couldn’t even consider it but was, as she had realised as soon as she saw him, because he hadn’t come to find her.

Julia knew that Lucius had given her the space she had asked for, both with the hour to clear out of the manor and afterwards when she had refused to see him or allow him to know where she was. But if she was honest, and now she felt she had no choice but to be brutally so, she was angry that he hadn’t ignored her wishes and come to take her back.

Not once in the twenty months they had been apart had he visited the hospital or attempted to trace where she was living. He hadn’t even turned up unexpectedly to gatherings she had attended with Draco and Ginny that he must have known Julia was going to be at. He had given her exactly what she wanted . . . and it had made her mad at him, and worse, it had made her doubt the sincerity of his assertion that he loved her still.

She was aware that her feelings were pretty unreasonable, as she was sure that had Lucius actually attempted to find her she would have been just as annoyed with him, but she also knew that another little part deep inside of her would have been buoyed by the gesture and it would have helped to strengthen and feed that fragile thread.

Would she have resumed her relationship with Lucius if he had come to reclaim her? She didn’t think she would have done as the same problems still applied and she really couldn’t deal with being just Lucius’ mistress, but the possibility was always there and at least there wouldn’t have been that terrible sense of loss that had been there since the moment she had Flooed out of Malfoy Manor for the last time.

The realisation that she had allowed the situation to get so bad left Julia feeling hollow and drained and she didn’t know if there was ever going to be anything she could do to stop the feeling. Seeing Lucius wasn’t an option, especially now that Crystal was pregnant, something that left Julia feeling even more inadequate than before. Whether he liked it or not, Lucius had to concentrate on building a relationship with his wife and Julia would only distract from that — but it seemed too hard, at her age, to try to forge a new life for herself away from the only friends and family she’d had for so long.

Julia thought about her failed attempt at a relationship with Nigel. She had to admit that she was rubbish at relationships. Only the one with Lucius had worked, and even that seemed to have been due more to luck than judgement. She still couldn’t believe they had fallen in love when on the day of their wedding they had been ready to kill each other and would have been happy to do so.

She climbed off the bed, slipped off her sandals, and headed for the bathroom to wash off what was left of her makeup. Then, returning to the bedroom, she removed her dress, changing into sweat pants and a t-shirt. That done, she left the bedroom and made her way through the lounge into the kitchen, where she pulled a bottle of wine from the fridge and a glass from the cupboard.

Julia knew she had probably already had enough to drink over the course of the day, but one more wasn’t going to hurt and might even help. Taking the now full glass she returned to the lounge and curled up on the sofa, trying but failing miserably to not think about Crystal’s baby.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lucius and Draco appeared on the road outside the building Julia’s flat was located in. Draco was still angry with his father for shaking Ginny but he understood the man’s frustration. What he had to do now was make sure his father didn’t do anything stupid — although he felt that would be a hard task to achieve with the mood the man was currently in.

‘If she tells you to go away, you need to leave. You promised, remember,’ Draco reminded his father as he pulled open the door and entered the building, Lucius following close behind. He was aware his voice had a slight pleading quality to it.

They walked up the flight of stairs, stopping close to the door of Julia’s flat, and Draco pointed at it to show which one of the several doors it was.

‘I’m serious about this, Father — you mustn’t harass her.’

‘Don’t you worry about me, Draco, I’ll be fine. You go back to the reception,’ Lucius said.

He sounded calm and collected, but Draco was well aware that was usually when he was at his most dangerous. He looked at his father, trying to gauge what he was likely to do.

‘Go on, go,’ Lucius repeated, his voice a little sharper now.

‘I’m not leaving you here alone,’ Draco said stoutly. ‘Merlin only knows what you would do then. And I want to make sure you leave if Julia tells you to go away.’

A brief look of annoyance shot across Lucius’ face at Draco’s words, but he forced it off. ‘She’s not going to tell me to go away. Well, she might at first, but that’s just a knee-jerk reaction. Once she understands I’m not going to leave she’ll let me in.’

Draco shook his head. ‘You promised you wouldn’t pester her,’ he said unhappily. ‘I think you should leave it for tonight. Give her a chance to recover first.’

‘No.’ Lucius’ voice was cold and hard. ‘I’m not waiting any longer. I shouldn’t have waited this long, I realise that now. I should never have let her leave the manor in the first place.’

‘What should you have done, chained her up?’ Draco asked sarcastically.

 ‘No, of course not. But I should have made it clearer that I didn’t want her to go.’

‘You told her you loved her and that nothing had changed,’ Draco pointed out. ‘I thought that was clear enough. But you have to accept that things _have_ changed for Julia. You are married to someone else and are not hers anymore. That was a hard thing for her to have to deal with, especially on the spot like that. Although I have to admit I honestly thought she’d come round after a break. I’m really sorry she didn’t, Father.’

‘But now I can put it right. I really can,’ Lucius said, sounding confident. ‘But you need to leave me to get on with it. You go back to the manor. Ginny’s waiting for you. You should be with her and your guests celebrating your wedding, not standing here in this dismal corridor with me.’

Draco sighed. He was torn between the desire to return to his new wife and the celebration that was taking place without him and the need to ensure his father stayed sane.

‘I should stay,’ he said finally, sounding a little unsure. ‘Make sure everything’s okay between you.’

Lucius looked at him in amusement. ‘I’m not going to do anything to hurt Julia, Draco. You are perfectly safe to leave me alone with her. Honestly.’

Draco looked at him appraisingly, biting his bottom lip nervously as he pondered what to do. ‘Please don’t do anything stupid or Ginny will kill me,’ he said quietly.

‘I promise I won’t,’ Lucius replied sincerely.

Draco looked at his father for a moment, then patted him on the shoulder and sighed. ‘Okay, if you’re sure? Well, good luck, then.’

And with that he turned and headed for the stairs, leaving Lucius alone outside Julia’s door.  

Lucius looked at the door for a moment as he debated what he was going to say to Julia. What he wanted to do was to grab her and give her the kiss he had been so intent on bestowing earlier, but that might be a bit premature, considering what had happened since. Yes, first he needed to talk to Julia properly, to explain how things really stood, and then . . . well . . . then they could see where to go from there.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked loudly on the door. 

Julia heard the knock but ignored it at first, thinking it must be someone accidentally knocking on her door when they meant to knock at one of her neighbours’. This happened quite regularly, so she always pretended not to be in and the caller usually realised their mistake pretty quickly and went away. Considering the state she was currently in after what had happened to her at the wedding, she didn’t really want to face anyone, not even a stranger.

But the knocking didn’t stop. Initially, it was a couple of sharp raps on the door, but this was followed only a minute or so later by a longer series, and when she did nothing about that either, the knocking became louder and harder. With a sigh, Julia stood up and left the lounge, intending to go and give a piece of her mind to whoever it was who was causing all the noise, pointing out that they should check their door numbers more closely. Then she heard Lucius’ voice come through the door and she froze.

‘Julia . . . come on, love . . . I know you’re in there. Open the door and let me in.’

What was _he_ doing here? And more to the point, how had he found her? Draco and Ginny had to have given away her secret. Julia felt her stomach lurch, her heart sinking at her friends’ betrayal. She automatically began to walk towards the door to open it when the knocking came again and Lucius’ voice, still calm and reasonable but a little louder now, made her stop again.

She didn’t want to see him, not now. There was nothing he could say to her that would make the situation any better. Instead of opening the door she turned around and made her way back into the lounge. Although he knew she was there, perhaps if she just ignored him he would get fed up and leave.

Lucius heard a noise inside the flat, but after waiting for a moment the door didn’t open and so he knocked again and called out for Julia once more. He knew she was in there and he didn’t care how long he had to wait. He had no intention of leaving until he had spoken to her face-to-face. He knocked again.

‘Come on, Julia . . . let me in. I’m not leaving until you at least open the door.’

There was no further sound of movement and the door stayed firmly shut. She was obviously playing hard to get. Trying hard to keep his rising temper under control, Lucius pulled his wand from his pocket and waved it at the door as he whispered, ‘ _Alohamora.’_ It didn’t move, although in fairness he hadn’t really expected it to. He was sure Julia was more than savvy enough about house protection.

He waved his wand once more with another whispered word. Immediately, the knocking started up again but this time, as it was magically induced, it didn’t stop. Again and again the noise came. Lucius waved his wand for the third time and the noise ceased out in the hallway although he knew it would still be audible in the flat. He moved back to lean against the wall opposite the entrance to the flat while he waited for the sound to annoy Julia enough to open the door.

Julia had intended to ignore Lucius but the constant knocking was beginning to drive her mad. It seemed to fill the entire flat, always at the same level regardless of where she was, so she knew Lucius must be using magic to create it. That meant he had no intention of leaving. With a loud sigh she left the bedroom, the latest place she had gone in an attempt to get away from the noise, and headed back towards the front door, pulling her own wand from her bag on the way.

‘You can stop knocking, Lucius. I’m not going to open the door,’ she said loudly and coldly to the closed door in front of her.

‘I just want to talk to you,’ Lucius replied. He had moved away from the wall to stand in front of the door, waiting hopefully.

‘Well, I don’t want to talk to you,’ Julia retorted. ‘We have nothing to say to each other. So please, just stop that bloody noise and go back to the party.’

‘I’m not stopping the knocking until you open the door,’ Lucius told her. ‘And I really don’t care how long that takes. I’ll just take up residence out here until you give in. You have to open the door eventually.’

There was a long pause, then Julia said unhappily, ‘Why are you doing this to me? I asked you to leave me alone.’

‘I never agreed to that,’ Lucius said quickly, his voice deep and passionate. ‘I let you leave the manor, but I never said I would keep away from you. I can’t keep away from you. I love you, Julia, and I know you love me, too.’ 

‘I refuse to go through all this again,’ Julia said, trying hard to keep her voice cold and unemotional.

She could already feel the tears rising, and as had happened so many times since she had returned home, the image of Crystal crowing about her continuing marriage to Lucius flashed into her mind. That bloody knocking was driving her mad as well. She put her hands over her ears to try to block out the sound but it did no good. It wasn’t going to stop until she opened the door. She knuckled her hands into her eyes to stop the tears, then with a sigh she moved forward and opened the door just enough that she could see Lucius. She pointed her wand at him.

‘Okay, I’ve opened the door. Now get rid of that bloody racket and get the hell out of my building before I lose my temper and hex you or something.’ She glared at her ex-husband. ‘Go away, Lucius. You need to go back to your wife and sort things out with her, not pester me when I’ve got no interest in seeing or talking to you.’

Lucius’ wand quelled the knocking while Julia was still talking and he smiled at her and studied her appraisingly as she spoke. Then he shook his head.

‘I’m not going anywhere. Open the door and let me in. I need to talk to you.’

‘Didn’t you just hear me say I don’t want to talk?’ Julia said belligerently. ‘And there’s no reason why I can’t kill you now . . . which actually might do everyone a favour.’

‘You’re not going to kill me,’ Lucius stated confidently, ‘but you are going to let me in. I know you don’t think we have anything to talk about, but that’s not true. Please, Julia, don’t make me stand out here all night. I promise you’re going to want to hear what I’ve got to say.’

Julia shook her head. ‘But it won’t change anything, Lucius. Crystal’s still pregnant and I still have absolutely no intention of having an affair with you.’

‘Those are some of the things I want to talk to you about,’ Lucius said, his voice far gentler now. ‘At least hear me out, and then if you still want me to go I’ll leave and I promise I won’t bother you ever again.’

Julia sighed. ‘You’re not going to leave me alone, are you?’

‘I will once we’ve finished talking . . . if that’s really what you want. But I want to get everything cleared up for good . . . so we both know there’s no way back.’

Julia looked at Lucius for several long seconds then opened the door wider, with a put-upon sigh.

‘All right, you can come in. But if I ask you to leave I want you to go immediately, without any argument, Lucius. Promise me . . . and no weasel words that you can back out of later.’

Lucius put his wand in his pocket and raised his hands in supplication. ‘I promise that if you ask me to leave I will,’ he said sombrely, although he frowned as he said it. ‘I just hope you’ll give me a chance first, though.’

Julia nodded and moved back to allow Lucius into the small hallway of the flat. She closed the door behind him and indicated that he should go through into the lounge.

‘Do you want a glass of wine?’ she asked as Lucius sat down on the small sofa where she had been sitting until recently, her glass still resting on the coffee table in front of it.

‘That would be nice,’ Lucius replied. He smiled and looked around the room. ‘This place isn’t bad. It’s a bit small but seems quite nice. You did well.’

Julia’s heart was beating faster as she entered the kitchen to get another glass and the bottle of wine. Lucius liked her flat. She thought of the way Nigel had criticised the place and a wave of good feeling for Lucius swept through her. No wonder she was still in love with him. He was everything she had always wanted but never realised she needed whilst she was with Nigel. He was her ideal man, her soul mate . . . and he was married to and having a baby with someone else.

She pulled the bottle from the fridge and carrying the wine glass she had retrieved she returned to the lounge and poured Lucius a drink and handed it to him. She put the bottle on the table and picked up her own glass, intending to go and sit in one of the armchairs.

‘Will you sit with me?’ Lucius asked.

Julia wasn’t sure she wanted to be so close to Lucius. It already hurt too much not to be able to hold and touch him as she wanted to, but not wanting to anger or upset him, which could cause her a problem now she had let him into her flat, she nodded and sat down next to him on the sofa.

‘So what did you want to tell me?’ she asked, trying to sound businesslike and ignore the fact that Lucius was close enough for her to stroke his handsome face.

Lucius looked at Julia for a moment as he took a sip of his wine. It wasn’t very good quality, just as everything in her flat wasn’t very good quality, but then she had run off and refused to take any of his money so she was only living on her wages which he knew weren’t very good.

‘I want you to know that I still love you . . . that I never stopped loving you,’ Lucius said, his voice quiet.

‘So you’ve already told me, several times this evening,’ Julia replied flatly. ‘I thought you said that what you needed to tell me would be worth my while listening to but this is just a rehash of what we’ve already been through before and is a pointless waste of time with things as they now stand.’

‘No, it’s not,’ Lucius insisted. ‘I was making sure you realised just how deeply I still care for you . . . even though you wouldn’t let me see you.’

Julia took a large mouthful of her wine, then snorted with derision. ‘You didn’t exactly go out of your way to look for me, though, did you, Lucius? You must have known I’d gone with Ginny and Draco, and you knew where I worked but not once in all this time did you ever try to find me. I had to come to you . . . and you know I didn’t want to do that, but I had no choice. I couldn’t let Ginny down on her big day.’

‘Draco and Ginny assured me they had no idea where you were,’ Lucius said, sounding embarrassed. ‘At first I really didn’t believe my son would lie to me, not over something so important. But they told me to leave you to calm down and every time I tried to do something to find you they would stop me. They kept telling me it was only a matter of time before you came back to me and that barging in like a bull in a china shop wouldn’t help the process at all. Stupidly, I listened to them and you just moved further and further away from me.’

Julia looked at Lucius in surprise at his admission that he had tried to look for her. Why had Ginny never said anything to her about that? But of course, she had, in her own way— all those times she had tried to get Julia to meet up with Lucius. And Julia had just assumed Ginny was trying to push her into an affair with him.

‘Well, it doesn’t make any difference now, anyway,’ she said with a shrug. ‘Things have moved on and even if there had been any chance for you and me it disappeared once Crystal got pregnant. I won’t you be your mistress, Lucius. I love you but I can’t do that.’

‘But that’s the whole point,’ Lucius told her happily. ‘Nothing’s changed . . . and in three months’ time I’ll be free.’

Julia looked at him in astonishment. ‘Have you not been listening to what I’ve been telling you? _Crystal’s pregnant_ . . . she’s having your baby, Lucius, and as much as you’d like to you can’t simply bury your head in the sand and pretend it’s not going to happen and everything is just spiffy. In three months’ time you’re still going to be married to Crystal and I am not going to have a relationship with you — in fact, I won’t ever see you again.’

Lucius laughed as if he really didn’t care. ‘Crystal may well be pregnant, but I’ve no idea who the father is. It’s certainly not me.’

Julia stared at Lucius, completely dumbstruck for a moment, then she said, ‘What are you talking about? Do you really expect me to believe that you and Crystal didn’t—’ she broke off, not wanting to say the words, especially as another of those rather too graphic visions of Lucius and his young wife drifted into her mind.

She took another mouthful of her wine, finishing the glass; then, for something to do and to try to take her mind off the thoughts that were crowding her brain, she poured herself another one.

‘No, of course not,’ Lucius said cheerfully — almost too cheerfully, Julia thought bitterly, considering he was talking about shagging someone he supposedly hated. ‘I wasn’t going through that illness again, so I consummated the union within a week; and to ensure there was going to be no problem with annulling the pairing I fucked her once a month, regular as clockwork.’

He grinned widely as Julia tried hard not to look upset. She could feel her insides twisting at his admission that he had been having a sexual relationship with Crystal. Of course, she knew he had to be and had even told Draco that herself, but deep inside a little part of her had hoped he had abstained, or that if he had done it he hadn’t enjoyed it in the way he had with her. But the way he was grinning like the Cheshire cat told her he had obviously relished what he had done with his young wife, and he had even admitted they did it regularly. That was particularly galling as she remembered that sex hadn’t been regular between them, at least not at the start of their relationship. He hadn’t wanted to go anywhere near her, let alone have sex.

‘I even made sure we picked the best time for her to fall,’ Lucius continued sounding smug, ‘just to make it really obvious to the Ministry that we’d been trying.’

‘Well, congratulations . . . it worked,’ Julia replied tartly.

‘Yes, apparently so, but I don’t know how,’ Lucius said his voice more serious now, ‘because I’m not able to have children. So Crystal’s obviously been up to no good in a vain attempt to keep her gold-digging little hands on my money.’

‘Of course you can have children, Lucius — you’ve had Draco. Or are you saying Narcissa was having an affair, too? If that’s the case, you’re seriously deluded. He looks far too much like you to have been fathered by anyone else.’

Lucius shook his head. ‘For all I know Narcissa may well have had affairs while we were married. I wouldn’t really blame her if she had as I was a lousy husband to her. And you’re right, Draco is definitely my son. But I also know what I’m talking about when I say I can’t impregnate anyone.’

He broke off for a moment and looked intently at Julia, reaching out to take her hand. For a second he thought she was going to pull away, but eventually, she let it rest and he began to stroke the soft skin gently.

‘I really did everything I could to try to get the Ministry to change their mind about us, my love. I have to admit that my first instinct was to hex that bastard Leach, and I came pretty close to doing that. But knowing it wasn’t going to help and would just land me in Azkaban, I swallowed my pride and instead, I begged him to give us another two years. But they were adamant that you weren’t likely to conceive so they wouldn’t give us the chance.

‘I laid my heart bare to them and the next thing I knew they were wheeling in Crystal and giving me the option of bonding with her or giving up my wand. You know the latter was never going to happen, so I had no choice, even though she was only a child. I was completely devastated and when you ran away from me I thought nothing could get any worse,’ he said quietly.

‘You know why I had to go,’ Julia said defensively.

‘Yes . . . sort of. What I mean is that I didn’t want to give you up and didn’t see why I should have to. I was only bonded to Crystal because of the bloody Ministry. You were still my wife, whatever they said. It didn’t occur to me that you wouldn’t want to stay with me.’

‘I was trying to give Crystal a chance,’ Julia said, then admitted, ‘and if I’m honest I was angry with you for marrying her, even though I knew you didn’t have a choice. But I still don’t see what this has to do with—’

‘Patience, my love, and I will explain all,’ Lucius said, that smug look back on his face as he cut her off. ‘Once I saw that you and I weren’t just going to continue to live together and wait for the two years to be over so we could go back to being alone again and that it would just be me and the child at Malfoy Manor, the realisation that this meant getting physical with her kicked in.

‘To be frank it wasn’t really that much of a hardship as she is a beautiful girl but I love you and didn’t really relish the thought of having to go through the motions with her, even to satisfy the blasted Ministry’s rules for annulment. Then I began to worry that maybe Crystal really would be able to conceive and that _definitely_ couldn’t be allowed to happen as I had no intention of extending that relationship any longer than I had to.

‘It was obviously going to be impossible to abstain from sex — remembering back to the problems we had with the consummation I already knew that had to be done quickly — but in order to ensure that I got the annulment I wanted so badly I had to show willingness to try for a baby as well. Determined that there was to be absolutely no opportunity for anything to go wrong, I went out into the Muggle world and had a vasectomy.’

‘You did what?’ Julia asked sounding confused.

‘I had a vasectomy.’ Lucius took a sip of his wine, then asked casually, ‘Do you know how it works?’

Julia shook her head, looking blank. ‘I’ve never even heard of it.’

‘Really? I thought you might have, being Muggle-born,’ Lucius said. ‘Although I suppose you grew up in the wizarding world, didn’t you, so I guess that’s not too much of a surprise.’ He picked up the wine bottle and poured the remaining contents into his glass, then he looked at Julia again. ‘Basically, it’s a form of birth control in the Muggle world. They tie up and cut your tubes so the sperm can’t get out. You can still ejaculate, but there’s nothing in it.’

Julia looked surprised. ‘That sounds a bit extreme. Did it hurt?’

Lucius shook his head. ‘Not at all. It only took about half an hour to do it, then a couple of hours’ recovery time. It takes about a week before you can have sex and you have to be checked for a couple of months afterwards to make sure it’s worked, but generally it’s effective pretty much immediately.’

‘So did you have that done before you consummated the marriage?’ Julia asked interestedly.

‘No, there wasn’t enough time for that as I wanted to ensure I wouldn’t get ill, so I used a good old-fashioned contraceptive charm for the consummation. But by the time we started attempting to conceive I’d had the op and been given the all-clear so I knew it was safe to make the attempt, happy in the knowledge that I was firing blanks, as the Muggles say.’

‘How did _you_ know about this form of Muggle contraception?’ Julia asked curiously. ‘I wouldn’t have thought you’d be interested in anything Muggle, especially their forms of birth control.’

‘Generally, I’m not,’ Lucius admitted, ‘but a friend of mine told me about it a few years ago. Of course, I’d never really considered it before but it suddenly seemed like the ideal solution to my problem.’

‘So was this friend a wizard or a Muggle?’ Julia asked.

Lucius looked a bit shifty for a moment. ‘Does it matter?’

‘Well, it might. I didn’t think you liked Muggles and I’d be surprised to find that one was your “friend _”_ , unless they were a recent acquisition.’

‘Well, friend might be too strong a word,’ Lucius admitted. ‘He’s an acquaintance from a club I used to go to.’

‘Is that one of the clubs you’ve resumed going to?’ Julia asked. She looked carefully at Lucius, gauging his expression.

‘Ah . . . you heard, then? I suppose Ginny told you, did she?’

Julia nodded. ‘Yes. She was trying to get me to restart our relationship at the time. For some reason she seemed to think that telling me that you were out fucking anything you could lay your hands on at all manner of dodgy clubs would make me come rushing back to you. I don’t know why, it actually had exactly the opposite effect, as I’m sure you can imagine. I didn’t want to be just another of your many women, Lucius, especially if you were being that indiscriminate.’

‘You were never that,’ Lucius told her honestly. ‘Once our relationship became something real I stopped going to all those clubs. You know I did. And if you’d come back to me I would have stopped again.’ He looked at her defiantly. ‘You can hardly blame me. I didn’t want to fuck Crystal more than I had to, and you had run away. You know I’m highly sexed, I needed what the clubs could give.’

‘What about contraception at those?’ Julia asked archly.

‘At the Muggle clubs they use condoms — a Muggle barrier,’ Lucius explained. ‘Not just for contraception but to stop sexually transmitted diseases, too. I guess our contraception charms must have something like that built in as I’ve never really heard of anyone getting a disease from another wizard, not even when Muggles are involved.’

‘Me neither,’ Julia said. ‘Although maybe there’s not that sort of club—’

Lucius snorted. ‘Don’t you believe it, our world has plenty of that sort of club, my love . . . more than you could ever imagine.’

Julia felt a little uncomfortable at the way the conversation was heading toward Lucius’ perverse sex life so she tried to steer the topic back on course.

‘So are you certain that this . . . whatever it’s called, worked?’

Lucius nodded. ‘Definitely. I got my sperm count checked as recommended and I was definitely firing blanks. The chances of getting someone pregnant after that are minuscule . . . almost zero, in fact. I’m completely convinced that the child isn’t mine and that Crystal has only done it because she doesn’t want to give up the lifestyle she’s so wholeheartedly thrown herself into. I’m amazed to admit it but even Narcissa’s spending habits were minimalistic compared to those of my current partner, and as you know, Narcissa is no slouch in the spending department.’

‘But it’s possible there might have been an accident,’ Julia pointed out.

Lucius shook his head. ‘No, there’s really no chance. There was the vaguest possibility in the first two months after the operation, but even that was tiny. It’s definitely not possible after all this time.’

‘But will the Ministry accept your explanation?’ Julia asked. ‘They won’t care, will they? They just want you to have a baby and to them, it will look like you’ve fulfilled the criteria whether it was actually you or not.’

‘Well, I bloody well care,’ Lucius said angrily. ‘I refuse to stay married to that little gold-digger for a moment longer than I have to, and I’m certainly not staying married because she’s pregnant with someone else’s baby. I shall have to explain to the Ministry what I’ve done and refuse to accept any responsibility for the child.’

Julia thought for a moment, then asked hopefully, ‘So if you can’t have children any longer, does that mean you’ll be taken off the list as well?’

Lucius shook his head again. ‘Unfortunately, it’s not that simple,’ he said unhappily. ‘Once I tell the Ministry I had the vasectomy I expect I’ll be in trouble for modifying my body like that. It may well be that they’ll try to make me have the procedure reversed.’ Julia looked confused and he explained, ‘Although it is generally considered permanent, it can be reversed — although it’s far more costly than getting it done in the first place, obviously. In the wizarding world we don’t use body modification as contraception, and I guess with the Ministry pairings we’re not even supposed to use the charms, so they’ll definitely be unhappy that I tried to circumvent the system. But I still think it was worth it. If Crystal hadn’t got herself pregnant the Ministry would never have known what I’d done and would have assumed we really had been trying, and hard. They would have had no qualms about annulling the union and with any luck they would have taken me off the eligibility list after two failed bonding attempts.’  

‘But once they find out what you did the Ministry might not accept it as trying,’ Julia pointed out, ‘as you deliberately stopped conception from happening. What happens if they make you stay with her anyway?’

Lucius frowned deeply. ‘I’m sure they won’t do that — especially with Crystal being pregnant now. I’m sure they’re sensible enough to understand that there would be some bad feeling between us as the baby isn’t mine, and with the two-year killing charm gone they’ll need to make damn sure there’s no chance of the union ending badly. But if they insist on the reversal then it’s possible they might try to re-bond me again.’

‘So nothing will have really changed, then,’ Julia said miserably, the hopeful feeling that had been growing inside her at the news that Lucius wasn’t the father of Crystal’s baby suddenly cut off at the realisation that Lucius would still be marrying someone else.

‘Oh, no, my love, everything’s changed,’ Lucius told her with a smile.

‘But you just said—’

Lucius leant forward and put his finger on Julia’s mouth for a moment to stop her from talking.

‘The Ministry of Magic may well want to bond me to someone else, but this time I’m not going to let them,’ Lucius said softly. ‘I told you, Julia, you’re my wife . . . and I will have no other. It’s quite simple really, if the Ministry won’t let us remarry I shall give up my wand.’ 

‘That’s all very well, but — _what?_ ’ Julia realised what Lucius had just said and stared at him, her mouth open in shock.

Lucius nodded. ‘I’m going to turn down the Ministry’s suggestion that I be re-bonded. I’m not going through that again.’ He looked at her carefully. ‘Will you come to live with me in the Muggle world if that happens?’

Julia continued to stare in surprise, her head spinning from his revelation. Lucius was willing to give up his wand and his privileged lifestyle to be with her? This was immense. She could feel her heart pounding as she understood just what Lucius was suggesting and how much he loved her.

‘Julia?’ Lucius’ voice sounded worried as he waited for her response.

Julia nodded, her eyes full of tears that had sprung suddenly to them. ‘Of course I will,’ she whispered happily. ‘Oh, gods, yes, Lucius, absolutely.’

She was still talking when Lucius wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, his lips finding hers in a deeply passionate kiss that went on and on. Julia gave herself to the kiss fully, her own arms wrapping around him in response, no longer worried about the fact that he was married to Crystal. Lucius was hers and always would be and no one, not even the Ministry of Magic, was going to come between them.

‘I love you,’ Julia told him once the kiss ended, breathless words whispered in her need to make him understand just how much she cared for him and how much she appreciated what he was willing to do for her.

‘And I love you, too,’ Lucius said before his lips claimed hers once more in a kiss just as electrifying as the last. ‘Is there any chance we can go to bed?’ he asked cheekily once they managed to release each other for more than a second. ‘You have absolutely no idea just how much I want to fuck you right now.’

Julia laughed. ‘Oh, I think I’ve got some idea, Lucius. You’re not the only one who enjoys having sex, you know.’

‘I thought you were back with that boring bastard you used to live with,’ Lucius said, sounding dismissive. ‘I don’t know why you bothered, though because he’s obviously nowhere near as good in bed as me.’

‘He really was crap,’ Julia admitted with a chuckle. ‘And I’d forgotten just how bad he was until we got back together. We’re not a couple any longer, though. We split up because he thinks you ruined me.’

Lucius grinned wickedly and said lecherously, ‘Does he? Well, I’m glad to have been of service.’ He picked Julia up, standing up as he did so. ‘And I have every intention of continuing that ruination just as soon as I get you near a bed.’

He hurried towards the door, following Julia’s finger as she pointed towards the bedroom. A minute later he dropped her gently on the bed, looking down at her where she lay, a strong wave of desire rushing through him. He needed her naked, needed to be inside her, and he didn’t want to leave it any longer. He had waited such a long time for this moment to arrive and he didn’t want to give Julia the chance to change her mind and back away from him again.

‘Do you realise it’s been six hundred and forty days since we last made love?’ Lucius asked. His hands were moving, slowly caressing her body, enjoying the feeling of her curves.

‘What?’ Julia sounded stunned. She looked into his eyes. ‘You kept count?’

‘Of course I did. Although I’ll be honest, I really hadn’t expected to have to wait quite so long before we did it again. I had been thinking more like a week . . . maybe a month, tops.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Julia said ruefully, her hand reaching out to stroke Lucius’ face. There was a tinge of red in her cheeks. ‘I know I’ve been really stupid about this whole thing, but you know, I just don’t like the idea of being a mistress.’

‘Shhh, love, you never need to apologise to me,’ Lucius told her softly. ‘I’ve told you that before. You had your reasons for leaving me and they were valid for you . . . even if they were completely bonkers.’ He grinned. ‘I’ve got you back now and that’s all that matters.’ He bent down and kissed her lips.

Julia wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down onto the bed beside her as they continued to kiss.

‘Please don’t be disappointed by my underwear,’ she warned Lucius as he began to undress her. ‘I know it’s not to your usual high standards but I haven’t been able to afford couture for a while and I don’t want it to put you off or annoy you.’

Lucius chuckled. ‘Don’t worry about that, my love. It’s not going to be staying on long enough to offend me. I need you naked. I need to touch your beautiful body . . . to kiss it. In fact . . . .’ He pulled the wand from his pocket, waved it, then placed it on the bedside table as he grinned happily. ‘That saved a bit of time.’

‘Well, at least you didn’t get to see how bad it really was.’ Julia giggled as she ran her hand down Lucius’ now naked chest. ‘You would _not_ have been impressed.’

Lucius gave a huge and highly theatrical sigh. ‘I hope this doesn’t mean I’m going to have to spend years getting you just right again, Julia. It was such a hard job last time.’

Julia slapped him. ‘Don’t be so bloody cheeky, Lucius. Anyway, I don’t think I’ve changed that much . . . at least not for the worst.’ She grinned. ‘Unless you listen to Nigel, of course.’

‘I wouldn’t hold much stock in anything that man says,’ Lucius retorted dismissively. He kissed her again. ‘So what did he get his knickers in a twist about?’

‘I don’t think he was impressed that I wouldn’t do what he wanted all the time without questioning it. I had become too confident and headstrong for him . . . and too kinky, apparently.’

‘Kinky, eh?’ Lucius said happily, raising an eyebrow with interest. ‘Why, what did you try to force the poor man to do? Perhaps I should take you to some of my clubs; you might enjoy it.’

Julia slapped him again. ‘I’m not a pervert, thank you, and I’m not interested in your clubs. Anyway, I wasn’t trying to get him to do anything too unusual. I just wanted him to go down on me.’

Lucius looked at her in surprise. ‘He doesn’t like oral sex?’

‘He doesn’t like _giving_ oral sex,’ Julia clarified. ‘He’s always been perfectly happy to take it. I’d just never knew what I was missing out on until you did it to me and he wasn’t happy that I wanted a bit of equality.’

Lucius’ fingers had been playing with Julia’s nipples as they talked, one hand stroking down over her stomach and towards the sacred area between her legs. She gasped as his fingers connected with her clitoris, teasing and stroking, dipping further to slide inside her.

‘The man’s mad!’ Lucius announced. ‘What’s not to like, especially with you, my love?’ He planted a gentle kiss on her lips followed by others that worked their way down Julia’s throat, then between her breasts and across her stomach, his tongue flicking out to lick around her belly button before continuing lower. ‘Doesn’t know what he missed out on, thank Merlin.’

Julia gasped. ‘Oh gods, Lucius . . . that feels so good.’

‘I’ve only just started,’ Lucius told her huskily with a grin.

His tongue flicked, catching her clit and making Julia gasp once more. His hands pulled her legs wider, his arms wrapping around them to keep them apart as his head dipped further. He buried his face in the soft folds of her vulva as he licked, enjoying hearing her moans as her arousal grew. Time for him to remind her just what she had been missing by staying away and to drive that loser of a boyfriend from her brain once and for all — and also time for him to enjoy himself in a way he hadn’t managed for such a long time now.

Being with Julia at last made Lucius realise just how much he had missed the feel of her soft skin against his; her subtle fragrance a mixture of the perfume she wore and the darker, more sensual scent that was at the core of her, and the curves of her body, so much more alluring than either the skinny, sparse child he had been paired with or the model-perfect women that tended to frequent the clubs he had been drawn back to since Julia had left him.

Julia cried out, her body writhing as she tried to pull away from Lucius’ tongue, the sensation overwhelming her senses, but he wouldn’t release her or give any respite and eventually her begging him to stop overtook the sounds of enjoyment. Knowing his work was done, with regards to that particular form of pleasure at least, Lucius finally let go of her. His mouth once again worked its way up her body, his tongue moving in swirling patterns over her hot damp skin and spiralling around over her belly before moving back up to capture first one stiff nipple, then the other, his fingers joining in teasing and pulling at the hard buds.

Lucius gave a small gasp of joy as Julia’s hand reached out to grasp his hardness, stroking and squeezing, her touch taking him to new levels of arousal. And then his lips were back on hers, his body pressing against her, needing that which only she could provide. Desire reached fever pitch as she slowly guided him, granting him the access he had wanted but had been denied for so long. He thrust hard, his arms wrapping tightly around her, and a long, low groan escaped his lips as he filled her completely. Julia’s arms wrapped around Lucius’ body in response, her nails raking at his back as she rubbed herself against him, her legs wrapping around his as they moved together.

‘Ride me,’ Lucius begged, breaking off kissing Julia for only a moment.

She nodded vigorously, already being rolled over by Lucius so she was on top. In control now, she made the most of it, teasing with her movements as she impaled herself on him, taking him as deep inside her as she could stand. Lucius’ hands reached out to play with her breasts again as she rode him, his cries growing as Julia brought him ever closer to climax. She bent over him and kissed him gently, her nose rubbing against his as she raised her body up and moved her pelvis, that sweet feeling rising inside that she knew she couldn’t keep in check for much longer.

But now Lucius was taking control again, pulling her back down beneath him, his hands forcing hers above her head as he held her down, his breathing heavy as he increased the pace of his thrusting, so close now to coming.

‘You’re mine,’ he growled, his lips brushing over her face, biting gently at her bottom lip before crushing his mouth against hers.

‘Oh gods, yes, always!’ Julia cried as she pushed against Lucius, drawing him into her, her own breathing shallow and rapid, small whimpers of pleasure escaping her lips with every thrust.

And then they were both climaxing, her muscles contracting just a fraction of a second early, squeezing and milking Lucius’ cock as they both cried out, clinging to each other for dear life, their slick bodies caressing each other as they came.

For a long time they stayed locked together, hearts beating hard and fast in perfect rhythm, lips meeting again and again with tender kisses as they rode out the blissful feeling enveloping them both. Julia gazed adoringly at Lucius, enjoying every part of him as she knew he was with her. They were finally back together and nothing was ever going to separate them again.

 

. . .

 

‘So it looks like we’ll be moving to the Muggle world, then,’ Lucius said quietly once they had recovered some time later. ‘Because there’s absolutely no way I’m ever letting you go again.’

Julia snuggled happily in his arms. ‘I still can’t believe you’re willing to do that for me.’

‘Why not? I told you there’s no one else for me but you, my love, and I meant that. It doesn’t matter where we are as long as we’re together.’

‘Are you going to be able to live without magic?’ Julia asked doubtfully.

Lucius shrugged. ‘How hard can it be? I mean, Muggles manage it.’

‘Yes . . .’ Julia said still sounding unsure, ‘but they’ve never had magic so don’t know what they’re missing out on. I think it’ll be very frustrating for you, at least at first.’ 

‘Well, I shall just have to get used to it,’ Lucius replied stoically, ‘because I am _not_ getting into another Ministry pairing.’

‘What happens if they won’t let you give up your wand?’ Julia asked.

‘Why wouldn’t they? Anyway, they can’t stop me, especially if I refuse to re-bond. They’ll have no choice. They can’t go back on that facet of the law, otherwise it proves that they can make exceptions in other areas, too,’ Lucius pointed out.

‘Theoretically they can’t, but you’re part of one of the wizarding world’s most prestigious families. I can’t believe they’d be happy to lose you to the Muggle world, law or no law,’ Julia said.

‘Then they’d better let us get re-married,’ Lucius said gruffly. He kissed her nose, then added more contentedly, ‘At least this last three months is going to be much easier and so much more pleasurable than the last twenty-one.’ He grinned. ‘I don’t even care that Crystal’s trying to bleed me dry anymore. She can do what she wants just as long as she doesn’t come anywhere near me.’

‘Did you punish her for overspending?’ Julia asked archly. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer but even now she still couldn’t quite manage to rid herself of the vision of Lucius and Crystal playing his spanking games and she needed to know one way or another whether they had really got that intimate.

Lucius looked surprised. ‘Punish her? Why would I want to punish her?’

Trying to keep her voice light, Julia said, ‘Spending all that money. I’d have thought you’d want to spank her or something. That’s what you usually do, isn’t it?’

Lucius chuckled deeply, and with a salacious look he said with amusement, ‘That wasn’t for overspending.’ He gave a small frown and stroked Julia’s cheek. ‘Julia, I can honestly say I have never had the urge to do anything like that with Crystal. She really isn’t the type of woman I find attractive. My only interest was in making sure the annulment would go through as scheduled. That’s part of the reason I went back to the clubs.’

‘You went to the clubs to spank people?’ Julia asked, sounding sceptical.

‘Hmmm, partly. Certainly, that sort of thing does happen, although that’s pretty tame, actually. What I meant was that those sorts of games have never been a part of my relationship with Crystal.’ He grinned wickedly. ‘Now you, on the other hand . . . .’

Lucius made a grab for Julia but she was too quick for him and scooted out of the bed, pulling on her dressing gown.

Lucius groaned. ‘What on earth is that you’re wearing?’

Julia looked affronted. ‘It’s my dressing gown. Why?’

He got out of bed and moved towards her. ‘Wow, it’s so sexy,’ Lucius said sarcastically, his nose wrinkling as he looked at the cheap floral-patterned gown.

‘There’s nothing wrong with it,’ Julia said defensively. ‘All right, it might not be that sexy, but I wasn’t thinking about that when I bought it.’

‘Obviously. You look like my old grandmother in that,’ he told her disgustedly. ‘It looks like I need to take you shopping again . . . and soon!’

‘I hope you’re not going to be a snob about all my clothes again,’ Julia said. ‘I told you, I haven’t had that much money.’

Lucius shrugged. ‘I know, that’s why I need to take you shopping. You deserve better than this.’ He rubbed the cheap nylon material between his fingers and wrinkled his nose again. ‘What is this fabric?’

Julia pulled away from him. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the robe . . . apart from being cheap.’ She looked at herself in the mirror. ‘And hideous,’ she admitted. ‘I’m going for a bath. I’ll see you shortly.’


	11. Chapter 11

‘So how are things with Crystal?’ Julia asked. She cut the bap she had ordered into four equal portions, then picked up one of the quarters. ‘Has she realised that Lucius knows about her yet? I don’t really like to talk to him about it as he gets a bit annoyed. He thinks when we’re together it should just be all about us, no outside influences getting in the way.’ She rolled her eyes, then took a bite of the roll.

Ginny shook her head. ‘I don’t think so. She knows Lucius is much happier these days but I honestly think she believes he’s contented about the baby and is pleased she’s pregnant. You know how thick she is. She hasn’t even realised he’s seeing you again.’

Julia wiped her mouth with her napkin and frowned. ‘Surely she can’t be that stupid, can she? She knew he didn’t like her and a baby wasn’t going to change that, whether I’m on the scene or not.’

Ginny shrugged. ‘Who knows with Chandelier? She thinks that after you left the wedding reception you broke off all contact with us like you said you were going to. She’s suddenly become all gracious lady of the manor with me and Draco, eager to invite us round for Sunday lunch. She really does seem to think that you’re out of our, and especially Lucius’, lives and that he’s decided to make a go of things with her.’

‘He’s still acting out, then,’ Julia said dryly as Ginny took a sip of her tea.

‘You know, I’m really surprised he didn’t call her out on it immediately,’ Ginny said a few seconds later. ‘If he’s so sure he isn’t the father why hasn’t he got rid of her already?’

‘Oh, you know Lucius. He wants to make a big fuss about it at the Ministry of Magic. He’s hoping he’ll be able to use it to sway them into letting us get re-married. And it’s his revenge on Crystal for what she’s done. He’s making her feel secure and then she’ll feel the drop that much more. You know how cruel he can be when he wants to be.’

‘You sound like you feel sorry for her,’ Ginny said, sounding surprised.

Julia shrugged as she picked up her own teacup. ‘I don’t feel sorry for her exactly, because she’s such a bitch and what she did is despicable, but she is pregnant and I would hate for something to happen to the baby because of Lucius being vindictive. It’s not fair to the child, regardless of who the father is.’

‘Well, personally I can’t wait to see her face,’ Ginny said, a wicked grin on her own. ‘It’ll serve the bimbo right. Is that why you haven’t moved back into the Manor, because of Lucius keeping it all hush-hush?’

Julia shook her head. ‘No. Even if he had told her he knew I still wouldn’t be moving back. I admit I was stupid to keep away from Lucius for so long but I’m still not happy about being the mistress.’ She sighed. ‘At least it’s only for another couple of months.’

‘You finally admit you were being stubborn, then?’ Ginny said, grinning smugly. ‘I told you that you just needed to get laid . . . and I was right about needing it to be Lucius, too.’

‘Okay, you were right about the shagging,’ Julia told her, ‘especially after Nigel. But I still think I was right to keep away to give Crystal and Lucius a chance.’  She sighed and admitted, ‘Although I did leave it too long. I suppose I always knew it wasn’t going to work out between them . . . but then there was still the mistress thing. I just don’t like it and never will.’

‘Well, it won’t matter soon,’ Ginny pointed out. ‘You’ll be his wife again, properly, and everything will be perfect.’

‘But will it?’ Julia asked. ‘Nothing will have changed, really. I can’t see the Ministry being any more reasonable than they were when they annulled our marriage. Less, probably, because of what Lucius did to try to prevent conception.’

‘Well, actually, Draco’s looking into that,’ Ginny confided conspiratorially. ‘He has some sway in the Ministry these days and he’s trying to get it sorted. He’s got Harry helping him.’ She laughed. ‘I don’t think he’s keen on the idea of his father abandoning him to live in the Muggle world. He was completely shocked when Lucius first mentioned it to him . . . well, we both were, really.’

‘Not as shocked as I was,’ Julia said with a wry smile. ‘I’ll admit I was a little overwhelmed by the gesture, especially knowing how anti-Muggle Lucius is.’

Ginny frowned. ‘I don’t think he’s actually anti-Muggle these days, is he? He’s really changed since he’s been with you.’

‘Oh, I didn’t mean it in a Death Eater way,’ Julia said quickly. ‘I just meant he’ll be so completely useless without magic. Can you imagine? The man can’t even make a cup of tea without a house-elf to do it for him. How the hell is he going to manage to live in a place where he has to do everything himself and by hand?’

‘You know they say love always finds a way,’ Ginny said sagely.

‘Yeah, well, whatever that way is, I can see it including a lot of temper tantrums from Lucius, which won’t be much fun for the rest of us and for me especially,’ Julia said resignedly.

‘Hopefully it won’t come to that.’ Ginny tried to sound hopeful.

‘I really hope you’re right,’ Julia told her honestly. ‘I have to admit I don’t much fancy living in the Muggle world permanently, even with Lucius’ money. It’s not our home, however convinced Lucius is that we can make it one.’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Lucius looked at himself in the mirror as he did up his tie. He was looking good, even for him, and he was feeling good, too. Today was the anniversary of his bonding with Crystal and the day he was finally going to rid himself of the vapid little tart he’d had to put up with for the last two years. Today he was finally going to be reunited permanently with Julia . . . and he couldn’t wait.

He smoothed down the collar of his jacket and then buttoned it up, giving one final self-indulgent look in the mirror. He was looking forward to seeing the expression on Crystal’s face when he unmasked her deceit to the Ministry of Magic, even though it would more than likely gain him a dressing-down for his own deception. But it would be worth that to be free of the imbecilic child who had almost ruined his relationship with Julia forever.

He was fairly certain the Ministry wouldn’t be too hard on him; after all, he was the head of one of the wizarding world’s most prestigious families, and even considering his prior track record he still held considerable sway with the people who mattered.

Julia — ever the pessimist, of course — was convinced that the Ministry wouldn’t even consider his request to remarry her and that they would have no choice but to go and live in the Muggle world. Lucius didn’t believe for one minute that they were going to have to go that far, although he was absolutely prepared to if the necessity arose. Nothing would keep him and Julia apart any longer and that definitely included some pathetic law dreamed up by a bunch of wizards who wouldn’t know what a great relationship was if it came up and punched them in the face.

He knew Julia was worried that he wouldn’t be able to cope with living as a Muggle, and if he was honest, he was aware that it wouldn’t be easy, but he was more resilient than Julia gave him credit for. Okay, so it was true that he wasn’t that experienced at having to do things for himself, having been brought up with the wealth that allowed house-elves to be a common part of his life. But how hard could it be, for Merlin’s sake? At least he would finally get to be with Julia forever, which was worth any type of hell.

But he was confident that it wouldn’t get that far. Draco, whose own influence at the Ministry of Magic had been steadily growing, had assured Lucius that he was working on getting his union with Julia agreed on and Lucius had the utmost faith in his son’s abilities. Wizarding world or Muggle world, it didn’t matter to him as long as he had Julia at his side.

Lucius put his hand into his pocket, pulling out and looking at the wedding ring he had kept safe for the last two years. Once he and Julia were joined again everything would be completely perfect. He put the ring back into his pocket and grinned at himself in the mirror. Perfect, yes, but one of the highlights of the day would still be the fall of the gold-digging little bitch who thought she had wormed her way into the security of life as his wife . . . and the sooner the better, as far as he was concerned.

‘Bring it on,’ he said softly, then turned and headed for the door.

Lucius made his way rapidly along the corridor and down the stairs, keen to have some breakfast before the big day ahead. He intended to take Julia to the Black Dragon for dinner, finally, but that was a long way off and he had lots to do before then. Crystal was already in the dining room, eating her way through a massive plate of food as she seemed to have done almost every day since her pregnancy had become common knowledge. She was no longer the willowy, almost elfin-figured girl she had been at the start of their union. The food she was consuming had put a considerable amount of weight on her, and her stomach was huge.   

The irony was that being pregnant had actually given Crystal the sort of body Lucius could have found himself interested in, but her toxic nature was enough to dampen any thoughts in that direction even if he hadn’t already been completely smitten by Julia. The rekindling of their relationship, although with some misgivings on her part about her status, had rendered him completely faithful to his wonderful wife once more.

Gone were the visits to the clubs he had frequented with gay abandon, desperate to quell the memory of the woman who had taken his heart and the child that had replaced her in his life, if not in his bed. Now he spent as much time with Julia as he could, although no amount of persuasion on his part could get her to move back into Malfoy Manor. Without the clubs to occupy his time, and with Julia loath to allow him too much access while they weren’t married, he had been spending rather more time at home than before, something that stupid Crystal seemed to have taken as a sign that he accepted her pregnancy and the knowledge that they would remain married once the two-year period was up.

Initially, Lucius had intended to sink Crystal’s plans before the pregnancy even started showing, he was so determined to get rid of the vile girl. But with Julia’s refusal to return home until they were remarried he had soon begun to realise that Crystal’s deception could be used to his advantage with the Ministry of Magic, especially when he was going to be in trouble with them for his vasectomy.

And so he had bided his time, no longer mentioning Julia at all. It seemed Crystal had decided that Julia had disappeared from his and Draco and Ginny’s lives for good, and accordingly she had become far more possessive of her place within the family. Although he hadn’t made any effort to be warm towards Crystal he had allowed her to continue about her business without censure, even when she continued to run up huge bills with her extravagant spending habits, and that, it seemed, was enough to keep her happy and unsuspecting.

Lucius took his usual place at the head of the table, glancing at the newspaper that was waiting, as ever, folded at the side of his place setting. He saw Crystal look at him. She was obviously debating whether to talk to him but he wasn’t sure he was ready for the sound of her voice yet, so he picked up the _Daily Prophet_ as he sat down, making clear his need for her to remain silent.

He felt rather than saw Crystal back down, and when he was sure she wouldn’t attempt to engage him in conversation he put down the newspaper and reached for the teapot, pouring himself a cup of tea. He lifted the lids of the various dishes on the table and made his selection, finishing with two slices of toast which he placed on the plate to the side of him before reaching for the butter and marmalade. He looked back down at the _Daily Prophet_ as he began to butter his toast.

‘Lucius, I was wondering what we were going to be doing today,’ Crystal said about ten minutes later, her voice slightly hesitant. He wasn’t hidden behind the newspaper anymore but she knew that still didn’t mean he would necessarily welcome conversation.

Lucius looked blandly at Crystal. ‘Doing?’ he asked. ‘Why would _we_ be doing anything?’   

Crystal looked at him with surprise. ‘Because it’s our anniversary. We’ve finally reached the two years and so now it’s a proper marriage not like the one you had before.’ She saw Lucius’ look darken and added quickly, ‘I thought we might go out somewhere to celebrate.’

‘What makes you think I want to celebrate?’ Lucius asked, his voice cold.

Crystal looked hurt. ‘I thought we’d got past all that stupid stuff with Julia, thought we’d moved on. We’re having a baby, Lucius. That brings us together. Surely it’s time for us to celebrate that at least?’

Lucius was about to respond when Moki entered the room and headed rapidly towards him. He was bearing an envelope which Lucius was certain he recognised. A smile crossed his face as he took the letter from the house-elf and slid his finger under the seal to open it. He pulled the parchment from within and read, his smile growing wider at the expected words.

He looked at the house-elf. ‘Thank you, Moki. You may go. Please bring me coffee in my office in twenty minutes.’

The house-elf nodded his head and turned to leave. Lucius re-folded the letter and returned it to the envelope, then looked at Crystal as he placed it on the table.

‘It looks like we will be going out after all,’ he said pleasantly. ‘This is a letter from the Ministry of Magic. We have an appointment to see a representative from the Department of Contracts at midday.’

A small frown crossed Crystal’s pretty face. ‘Why do they want to see us?’

Lucius finished putting marmalade on his toast and looked up, his face inscrutable. ‘It’s a standard thing all bonded couples have to do on their second anniversary. I think it has something to do with the removal of the death charm. I expect they’re legally obliged to mention it. It’s also when they decide whether the union will continue or whether an annulment will take place.’

Crystal relaxed and a smile crossed her face. ‘Oh, right. Well, that’s good. The Ministry are going to be pleased with us, aren’t they? We’re the sort of success story they were after with the marriage law. I don’t suppose we’ll be there long.’ She paused, then added in a wheedling tone, ‘Perhaps we can go shopping in Diagon Alley afterwards. I can show you the present I want you to get me for our anniversary.’

Lucius, who it appeared hadn’t heard Crystal’s last sentence, finished eating a mouthful of toast and said, ‘I need to see Draco while we’re at the Ministry. He’s been doing some work on my behalf and I need to see if it’s paid off.’ He wiped his mouth with his napkin, dropped it onto his plate, and stood up. ‘I’ll contact him and see if Ginny’s free for lunch. It would be nice to spend some time with them.’ He looked at Crystal as if daring her to disagree. ‘I’ll be in my office. We’ll Floo at eleven forty-five, so make sure you’re ready by then.’

He picked up the letter and walked out of the room, leaving Crystal to finish her breakfast. Once in his office he contacted Draco to confirm the time of the meeting, then sat at his desk thinking about what he was going to tell the Ministry. There was a faint popping sound and Moki appeared carrying a tray bearing a large mug of coffee.

‘Moki, I will need you to pack me a suitcase this morning, please.’

The house-elf looked interestedly at Lucius. ‘Is Master going somewhere?’

Lucius gave a sigh. ‘I hope not, Moki. But it always pays to be prepared, especially in this instance.’ He realised he wasn’t making any sense and added, ‘I’m sure you’re aware that today is the second anniversary of my bonding with Crystal.’ A look of disgust crossed Moki’s face for a second but then the elf managed to shift it into something more neutral. Lucius noticed and chuckled. ‘Yes, I’m aware she is no more popular with you house-elves than she is with me, Draco and Ginny, but unfortunately, we’ve been stuck with her up until now. Fortunately, that’s all about to change.’

‘But Mistress Crystal is pregnant,’ Moki said, sounding confused.

‘She is,’ Lucius replied mildly. ‘But the baby isn’t mine. And once I’ve told the Ministry of Magic that, I fully expect them to annul the bonding.’ He chuckled again at Moki’s hopeful look. ‘I intend to re-marry Julia,’ he told the elf, who looked delighted at this news. ‘Unfortunately, that’s where the suitcase comes into play. As things currently stand, Julia and I are not considered an eligible couple by the Ministry. I’m hoping that Draco has managed to sort things out on that score and that we will be unopposed in our desire to remarry. However, if the Ministry refuse to see reason and attempt to bond me to someone else again, I shall have no choice but to give up my wand and leave the wizarding world forever.’

Moki looked horrified at this news and began wringing his hands wretchedly.

‘As I said, I’m really hoping that won’t be the case,’ Lucius said soothingly. ‘I have no desire to leave Malfoy Manor — or the wizarding world, for that matter — but I am determined to be married to Julia again and if the Ministry refuse to allow our union we will have no choice but to surrender our wands.’ He looked at the distraught elf and told him, ‘If that happens, Draco and Ginny will move into the manor so you will all be safe. You know they will look after you. But that’s why I need a suitcase. If our wands are taken, we will have to leave immediately.’

‘Can Moki come with you, Master?’ the elf asked hopefully.

Lucius looked tenderly at the old house-elf and said gently, ‘I’m sorry, Moki, but we won’t be able to take you with us, as much as I would like to. We will have to make a new life in the Muggle world, and unfortunately, there would be no place for you there.’

‘The Ministry of Magic are bad people,’ Moki said, shaking his head unhappily.

Lucius sighed again and shook his head, too. ‘They aren’t really bad, but they are somewhat short-sighted and unfortunately, not very open to change. But hopefully, Draco has managed to sort things out. He’s been working very hard to get the right officials to listen to him, and if everything goes to plan Julia and I will be returning here this afternoon and will head out for dinner at the Black Dragon at eight o’clock this evening.’

‘I will prepare the suitcase for Master,’ Moki said, clearly still upset but trying hard to be professional.

‘Thank you, Moki. I would also appreciate it if you didn’t say anything to the other house-elves for the time being as I don’t want them unnecessarily worried. If everything goes as I hope, nothing will change apart from Julia returning to live at the manor. If things don’t go according to plan, Draco will come and speak to you all to explain the situation.’

Moki gave a small nod of understanding, then Disapparated with a pop.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Do I look all right?’ Julia asked worriedly. ‘I don’t want to overdo it, but at the same time hopefully, it’s going to be my wedding so I don’t want to be under-dressed.’

Ginny smiled at the stressed woman and nodded her head. ‘You look great, Julia. Madam Malkin really does know how to cut a robe perfectly, and the colour is fabulous. It goes so well with your hair. Now stop panicking. You know Lucius would love you if you turned up in sackcloth with your head shaved and painted with tar.’

Julia smiled, the stress leaving her face a little. ‘Actually, Lucius bought me a chemise this colour . . . it was the first thing he ever bought me.’ She looked wistful as she remembered the outfit and the lovemaking that followed receipt of it. It had been something of a turning point in her and Lucius’ relationship, the first time he had shown any sign that their marriage was something more than a forced partnership.

‘You can stop the daydreaming or we’re going to be late,’ Ginny said, trying to sound stern although she actually sounded rather amused. ‘You and Lucius are going to have years of hot, steamy sex, so don’t bother fantasising about it now.’

‘I wasn’t,’ Julia said defensively, but she couldn’t stop the blush that rose in her cheeks.

‘Lucius told Draco their appointment is at midday, so we need to be at the Ministry of Magic before then. Apparently, he’s already told Chandelier _we’re_ going to meet them, but she won’t be expecting you, obviously. I wonder if she’ll realise the game’s up when she sees you or whether she’s really daft enough to think she’s still got a future with Lucius?’

Julia finished clipping the second of a pair of earrings onto her ear and picked up a matching necklace from the dressing table. She looked in the mirror as she clasped it around her neck, a worried look crossing her face again.

‘Did Draco mention anything about our marriage at all?’

Ginny shook her head. ‘No, but he hasn’t seen Kingsley yet. I don’t think he’d arrived by the time Draco spoke to me.’ She walked over to Julia and grabbed her shoulder, squeezing it sympathetically. ‘Hey, don’t worry. Draco’s certain that Kingsley’s going to agree to it. Anyway, it doesn’t really matter, does it? You and Lucius will be getting married regardless of what happens at the Ministry.’

‘I know, but I have to admit I’d much rather stay here if possible. I really don’t want to end up back in the Muggle world, even with Lucius . . . and I’m damn sure, despite what he says, Lucius wouldn’t be very happy.’

‘I disagree,’ Ginny said adamantly. ‘Lucius loves you so much that he could be happy anywhere, just as long as you’re with him. Anyway, look on the bright side. At least you wouldn’t have the stupid Ministry breathing down your neck about having children every ten minutes.’

‘Are they giving you grief already?’ Julia asked. ‘You’ve only been married for a few months.’

Ginny sighed. ‘A couple of people at work have mentioned it to Draco in passing and we got a leaflet in the post the other day, explaining our responsibilities as newly married Pure-bloods in the brave new wizarding world. I didn’t like the tone of it much, actually. It basically said that if we didn’t have a strong magical child pretty much immediately then we should consider divorcing and re-marrying Muggle-borns.’

Julia looked shocked. ‘That’s disgusting — and surely it’s just as discriminatory as all that “Mudblood” stuff used to be!’

Ginny shrugged. ‘We’re ignoring it. We’ll have kids when we’re good and ready, and when we do they’ll turn out however they turn out. I don’t care if they’re ultra-magical or Squibs as long as they’re healthy.’

Julia smiled. ‘That’s the only attitude to have. Otherwise, things will end up as bad as they were when Voldemort was around. You’d think people would learn, wouldn’t you? But they’re so busy trying to ensure that Pure-bloods don’t take over again that they’re driving things the other way. It’s ridiculous.’

‘As I said, we’re not worrying about it.’ Ginny looked at her watch. ‘Are you nearly ready? If we leave shortly we should just about have time for a cuppa at Luigi’s before we meet Draco and Lucius.’

Julia opened her wardrobe and pulled out a shawl and a pair of shoes. ‘I just need to retrieve my handbag from the lounge and I’ll be all set.’

‘I’ll get it,’ Ginny said, and she headed for the door. She turned and looked back at Julia, who was sitting on the bed buckling up her shoes. ‘I can’t believe how ridiculously excited I am about you and Lucius getting married again. It’s almost as exciting as my own wedding.’

Julia laughed. ‘I think you might be more excited than me, Ginny.’

Ginny shook her head. ‘I don’t believe that. I know how you and Lucius feel about each other. I’ll see you in a minute.’

Julia watched as Ginny left the room then went back to putting on her shoes. It was true that she was excited about finally becoming Lucius’ wife again but the pleasure was tempered by fear that the Ministry of Magic would somehow do something to block their reunion. She could still remember, as if it was yesterday rather than two years ago, the huge sense of betrayal she had felt when Crystal had appeared on the steps of the Ministry, ruining any chance of happiness she and Lucius might have had together.

Although Lucius had told her he would give up his wand if they tried to interfere this time, she wasn’t entirely confident whether if it actually came down to it he would really be able to take that step or if his blood would win out as it had before. Would he really give up everything for her as he had promised, or would he fail once more and settle for marriage to yet another of the Ministry’s choices? The only thing she could do was hope Draco came through with whatever he had been trying to arrange on their behalf, and trust Lucius.

She stood up and wrapped the shawl around her shoulders, looking towards the window as she did so. The weather wasn’t brilliant today but at least it was dry. Mind you, she didn’t expect to be hanging around outside too much this time. She turned and headed for the bedroom door, finally ready to leave.


	12. Chapter 12

Lucius tried hard not to grit his teeth as he stood in the lift on the way to their meeting with the Department of Contracts on the seventh floor. Crystal’s incessant chatter, annoying enough at the best of times, was downright infuriating this morning as she kept wittering away about the baby and the success of their pairing.

Fortunately, she hadn’t alluded to Julia again otherwise Lucius would probably have lost it with her completely, so eager was he now to divest himself of the obnoxious bimbo. But she had insisted on clinging tightly to him and simpered at everyone who looked at them, and plenty of people were. This was a regular occurrence and usually Lucius was happy to bask in the glow of attention, but right now he wished he could disappear into the woodwork. He just hoped that Ginny and Julia were on their way.

His mood wasn’t helped by the message he had received from Draco when they arrived at the reception. According to his son, Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister for Magic, had been in a meeting off-site all morning and Draco hadn’t yet been able to gain his agreement for Lucius to be removed from the eligibility list.

Although Draco was still confident that agreement would be given, he had been unable to ascertain what time Kingsley would be returning to the Ministry. Lucius hoped it was before he had to give up his wand. He had grown particularly fond of it even though he had only had it for a few years and would be devastated if the Ministry destroyed it and then afterwards rescinded their sentence of exile.

The lift finally arrived at the floor they wanted and the doors opened. Lucius and Crystal followed another couple out of the lift and down the corridor towards the reception area for the Department of Contracts. From the body language the couple evinced it was clear that their relationship was no more of a success than his and Crystal’s, and Lucius wondered whether they too would be gaining an annulment. He shrugged Crystal’s hand from his arm as they waited in the queue to get booked in for their appointment, then he deliberately chose a single seat in the waiting room so Crystal couldn’t reclaim her grip on him.

Lucius was determined to be even-tempered when they had their meeting as he needed to be at the top of his game to deal with the criticism he would surely receive when it was discovered what he had done to prevent Crystal conceiving. Even the fact of her own duplicity wouldn’t assuage that guilt in the Ministry’s mind, and losing his temper wouldn’t make them any more receptive to his request. He just had to think about Julia and the fact that hopefully within the next hour she would be his wife again and everything in his life would finally be perfect once more.

He closed his eyes and thought of the beautiful woman he was so in love with, remembering her as she had been when he had left her the previous morning. He had shamelessly attempted to keep her in bed, his fingers and tongue working their magic to give her the pleasure he so enjoyed bestowing, even though he knew she had to go to work. She managed to resist him quite well although she didn’t object when he joined her in the shower and she ended up being half an hour late leaving, which he couldn’t help considering a small victory.

Lucius was looking forward to tomorrow morning when neither of them would have to get up. In fact, he could easily imagine them spending the entire day in bed — he certainly wouldn’t get bored. Thinking about a day spent doing nothing but making love to Julia made him wonder whether she had actually told St Mungo’s she was getting remarried and would be taking some time for a honeymoon before resuming the work pattern she had been on during their previous marriage. He would need to check. If need be, they might have to take a detour to visit his friend, the Director of the hospital, on their way home.     

Of course, knowing Julia, it was probably more likely that she had submitted her resignation in readiness for their theoretical move to the Muggle world. His beautiful wife was nothing if not a pessimist. But he sincerely hoped that wasn’t the case. Although it would suit him if she no longer worked at all, he was aware that being stuck in Malfoy Manor with nothing much to do would drive Julia crazy. The truth was that she really was happier when she was busy, even if it was only working from an office within the manor. It looked like a trip to St Mungo’s was on the cards regardless of the outcome.

Lucius turned his mind back to Julia, who on the occasion he was remembering was dressed in nothing but fine silk stockings encasing her beautiful legs — tied, just as her arms had been, to the posts of their bed. He grinned as he sank into the memory, enjoying once again, even if only cerebrally, the pleasures of her soft skin.

‘What are you thinking about?’

A grating voice suddenly broke through Lucius’ thoughts and the vision of Julia melted away, leaving him a little disappointed. He looked at his watch. There were seven minutes before their appointment was due to start. The other couple who had arrived at the same time as them had already disappeared into one of the offices.

‘I’m thinking about how much I’m going to enjoy my freedom from you,’ Lucius told Crystal candidly. ‘By my reckoning we’ve got about another thirty minutes before this stupid charade is finally over for good.’

Crystal looked shocked at his comment but after a moment she rallied. ‘Are you saying you think the Ministry will annul our marriage? You know that’s not going happen, Lucius. I’m pregnant. That ensures that we stay bonded forever, whether you like it or not.’ She paused for a moment and looked as if she was thinking, then added, ‘I thought you were happy about the baby. I thought this was going to be a new start for us.’

Lucius’ face held an expression of withering contempt as he regarded the young woman on the chair opposite him.

‘Whilst you are indeed pregnant, Crystal, I know the baby isn’t mine and after a couple of minutes in there,’ he motioned towards the offices, ‘the officials will also be fully apprised of the situation. As I am unwilling to accept responsibility for the child, the Ministry will have no choice but to annul our union, especially once they realise how much danger you’ll be in if you stay at Malfoy Manor.’

‘Of course the baby’s yours,’ Crystal said, using her most saccharine voice. ‘Who else’s would it be? I haven’t been anywhere near another man in two years . . . since I married you, in fact. And if you think you’re getting rid of me that easily, think again, Lucius. Who do you think the Ministry will be more likely to believe?’ She affected a wistful, girly look and said in a small voice, ‘I fell completely in love with you — and let’s face it, we did it more than enough times for me to get pregnant. A few tears and a statement of disbelief that you could do such a terrible thing to me and they’ll be putty in my hands.’ She gave a wicked smile.

‘And I’m equally certain that once they’ve heard about the measures I took to ensure that you _couldn’t_ get pregnant by me, they’ll fully understand that any statement you make about having been completely faithful to me for the last two years is a lie.’ Lucius gave his own wicked grin and added, ‘Let’s face it, Crystal, you’re nothing but a cheap, gold-digging little tart, and you’re desperate enough to try anything to hang on to my money. But that isn’t going to happen. Anyway, even if you do attempt to sway the Ministry to your side, they’ll remind you that the death charm no longer exists, so there’s no possibility of me dying, too, should you have an unfortunate accident.’

Crystal’s face paled as she gazed at Lucius. ‘You wouldn’t dare,’ she whispered.

Lucius gave another grin. ‘I’m going to be remarrying Julia once our sham of a union has been annulled. I know that you’re perfectly well aware of my feelings for her and that I will do absolutely _anything_ to ensure that happens. Believe me, Crystal, _you_ are not going to get in the way of our wedding.’

Crystal frowned. ‘But Julia can’t have children,’ she said. ‘So she’s not on the Ministry’s eligibility list, is she?’ She gave a nasty smile. ‘Even if you manage to get rid of me, Lucius, you still won’t have _her_. The Ministry will just pair you with someone else instead, and then you’ll be back to square one.’

Lucius shook his head. ‘That isn’t quite true. I don’t need Julia to be on a list. She’s my wife and always has been, whatever the bloody Ministry of Magic think and nothing will change that. If they attempt to re-bond me I shall give up my wand. The two of us will live just as happily together in the Muggle world as within the wizarding one.’

Crystal looked completely stunned at Lucius’ comment.

‘But what about Malfoy Manor?’ she asked.

‘Draco and Ginny will inherit early. It’s passed down through the family and was always going to go to them eventually. They’ll just move in sooner than originally anticipated. It’s no big deal. But to be honest, I don’t think it’s going to come to that because I think the Ministry will allow us to remarry.’

Crystal snorted and said condescendingly, ‘They won’t change the law for you, Lucius. Remember, I was in the room last time, when you were begging so pathetically for that bloke to let you have another two years with Julia. They weren’t very sympathetic then, were they?’

Lucius shrugged. ‘As I said before, I don’t really care. I’m going to remarry Julia one way or another, and if the Ministry don’t like it they can lump it.’

Movement at the door drew Lucius’ gaze away from Crystal and his face broke into a beaming grin as he saw Julia and Ginny enter the waiting area. He stood up and went over to them. Crystal stayed where she was, looking extremely unhappy at the new arrivals.

‘You look gorgeous,’ Lucius told Julia as he pulled her into his arms and hugged her. ‘You’re just in time. I was explaining to Crystal why our relationship is over.’ He released Julia and gave Ginny a hug, too.

‘Draco will be up shortly,’ Ginny said. ‘Kingsley’s due back any minute, and Draco and Harry are ready to pounce on him when he arrives.’ She looked anxiously at her watch. ‘When’s your appointment?’

‘Any time now,’ Lucius said with a shrug. ‘As soon as one of those doors opens, I imagine.’

A couple of minutes later one of the doors did open and a man with long brown hair and a matching bushy beard, wearing a plain brown robe, stepped out.

He looked around for a moment, then asked, ‘Mr and Mrs Malfoy?’

Lucius held his hand out to Crystal for the first time ever and helped her up from her seat.

‘Shall we go and get this over with?’ he asked pleasantly.

Crystal scowled. She had been so sure her plan would be foolproof and see her settled for life, yet somehow Lucius had managed to outsmart her. She had no idea what he had done to stop conception but she didn’t think he was bluffing about knowing the baby wasn’t his.

But where did that leave her? She was about to lose all of Lucius’ money and the roof over her head and she would still be pregnant, and to make it worse, all alone. In the space of a few minutes her entire life had completely crumbled. And just to really put the capper on things, _she_ was there. The bloody woman had been nothing but a thorn in Crystal’s side for the whole of her marriage.

Julia turning up here had been completely unexpected as Crystal had been sure she had walked away from her life with Lucius. She hadn’t even continued her friendship with Ginny and Draco after the events at the wedding. But here she was, large as life and all dressed up ready to remarry Lucius.

It had been enough of a shock to hear Lucius, who everyone knew was the world’s biggest Muggle-hater, talking so blithely about moving to the Muggle world in order to be with Julia — although, of course, Crystal had known that Lucius was in love with the woman. She remembered his pathetic and downright embarrassing pleading with the official just before he had submitted to marriage to her.

That had been enough to convince her that she was onto a sweet deal with him and that the unsuspecting older man would succumb easily enough to her charms, and if not would be easy enough to put one over on. But instead, the canny old bastard had caught her out and now she was going to pay for her deceit . . . unless he really was bluffing about the baby.

The only thing she could do was play it by ear. Once she heard his defence she would have to string together a credible story in a hurry or she was finished. Holding tightly to Lucius’ hand, she walked past the two women, her look imperious. She was determined she wasn’t going to let the looks they were giving her get to her.

Ginny and Julia started to follow Lucius and Crystal but the man in the brown robe held up his hand to stop them.

‘I only need Mr and Mrs Malfoy,’ he said pointedly. ‘You can wait out here for them.’

Lucius smiled at the man but it didn’t reach his eyes. ‘Look, Mr . . . whatever your name is.’ He paused.

The man in brown said, ‘McPhail.’

‘Mr McPhail, my companions will be joining us as it will save time in the long run. You will shortly be annulling my union to Crystal here.’ He indicated Crystal. ‘As I intend to remarry my real wife, Julia, we may as well skip the formalities and have everyone in the room at the same time. Ginny is my daughter-in-law and her husband, Draco, will be joining us shortly, possibly bringing some other people with him. I have no objection to other people being present during our interview, so I assume you should have no problem with this, either.’

McPhail looked in confusion at the group. The woman holding Malfoy’s hand, the woman he was currently bonded to, was quite clearly very pregnant and he couldn’t begin to understand why the man was so convinced their marriage would be annulled. And as if that wasn’t enough, he had brought his own replacement wife with him. McPhail gave a small internal sigh. He already had a stress headache from a long and trying morning; this was just what his day needed — another difficult client.       

‘This is most irregular,’ he told Lucius. ‘The interview between you and your wife is supposed to be conducted in private.’ He looked once again at Crystal’s pregnant belly. ‘If it has been decided an annulment is appropriate that will already have been taken care of and all that would remain would be to arrange your new bonding ceremonies which, with the best will in the world, is unlikely to involve a partner of your own choosing.’ He broke off again for a moment, then added conspiratorially, ‘But to be frank, Mr Malfoy, considering the condition of your wife I feel it’s unlikely that your bond has been annulled.’

Lucius looked amused. ‘We’ll talk about it out here, then, shall we? I really don’t mind, although it might embarrass Crystal a little.’

‘I can’t allow you all into the office,’ McPhail said. ‘I’m sorry but it’s just not possible.’

‘Does that Leach bloke still work here?’ Lucius asked suddenly.

McPhail frowned. ‘Do you mean Duggold Leach?’

Lucius nodded. ‘That’s the chap. Does he still work here?’

‘He does,’ McPhail confirmed stiffly. ‘But I imagine he’s rather busy. He is the head of the department, you know.’

Lucius looked commandingly at McPhail. ‘Well, run along and get him anyway. Tell him Lucius Malfoy is here and has a problem with his bonding.’

For a moment McPhail considered refusing Lucius’ request, but the bloody man obviously had no intention of backing down from his assertion that his bonding needed to be annulled, and if there really was a case to answer, Mr Leach would need to be involved anyway.

‘Wait here,’ he announced brusquely, and without waiting he walked off down the corridor towards Leach’s office.

Crystal sighed and released Lucius’ hand, sitting down on the nearest chair. She put her hand on her lower back, rubbing it.

‘What good will Leach be?’ Julia asked in confusion. ‘I doubt he’ll be any better disposed towards us than he was last time. And he was so incredibly rude, whether he meant to be or not.’

Lucius moved towards Julia and took her hands. ‘It’ll buy us a bit of time while we wait for Draco. Also, you know McPhail wouldn’t be able to make a decision on this. He’s just the monkey, not the organ-grinder, so he’d have to get Leach to sort it out anyway and it saves having to go through the whole thing twice. Don’t worry, my love, I won’t let him be rude to you this time. If he does I promise I’ll hex the bastard.’

Julia gave a small, rueful smile as she shook her head. ‘Please don’t do that, otherwise it might prejudice his decision . . . and I don’t want you ending up in Azkaban. I might be prepared to move to the Muggle world with you, Lucius, but I certainly won’t go to prison with you.’

‘Oh, I don’t know,’ Lucius crooned as he pulled her closer. ‘A nice, comfy little prison cell. I bet we could have lots of fun in there.’ He bent to kiss her.

‘Mr Malfoy.’

A resigned sounding voice broke the moment and Julia pulled out of Lucius’ arms and moved back to stand by Ginny. Lucius straightened up and stared at the newcomer, taking in the lanky frame dressed in royal blue with the shock of straw-coloured hair. He smiled coldly as he held out his hand.

‘Ah, Mr Leach. What a pleasure to see you again. Now, I have a little problem I’m hoping you might be able to sort for us. Shall we go into one of the offices to discuss it or do you want to stay out here? Either is fine for us.’

Duggold Leach shook Lucius’ hand for a few seconds as he rapidly assessed what was happening in the room. While the waiting area was currently empty it wouldn’t necessarily stay that way for long; he was aware that there were people in some of the other interview rooms who would be leaving within the near future, too.

Additionally, remembering his previous run-in with Malfoy he didn’t expect this to be a matter that could be sorted easily or quickly, at least not as easily as it should be. Whilst it looked pretty clear-cut to him, the man obviously once again didn’t agree with the Ministry’s assessment of the situation and just as obviously intended to complain about it.

Leach had no idea who one of the extraneous women was, but Malfoy’s previous wife, the one he had fought so hard to stay bonded to the last time they had met, was the other. Leach’s heart sank as he looked at the woman. She was definitely beautiful. He had thought that at the time of their annulment and had felt some sympathy for the couple as it was quite clear that they were in love. But as he had told Malfoy at the time, the law couldn’t be subverted just to accommodate a single person. Once you did it for one person you felt beholden to do it for another, and so on, until the law was no longer the law.

However great his sympathy he’d had no choice but to do his job and enforce that law. The woman — he couldn’t remember her name offhand — was extremely well dressed, over-dressed if anything, and with a sinking heart he realised that whatever was coming was somehow going to involve the re-bonding of her and Malfoy.

He looked at the wife. She was looking particularly unhappy, which he could completely understand considering her condition and what was going on with her husband. Obviously Malfoy had made no effort to make a go of his relationship with her other than to give her a child, but that alone would have been enough to ensure the continuation of the union and after everything he had been through previously, Malfoy would definitely know that, so there was quite clearly something awry. Whatever the case, it wasn’t fair to either Malfoy or his wife to discuss it in public.

‘Let’s discuss this in private, shall we?’ Leach said, indicating the room with the open door that McPhail had emerged from.

‘We should have some others joining us shortly,’ Lucius told him as Leach led the group towards the room with McPhail bringing up the rear. ‘My son is currently waiting to talk to the Minister for Magic, but he shouldn’t be too much longer.’ He waited, allowing the others to enter the room before him.

Leach frowned when Lucius mentioned the Minister for Magic. Oh, Merlin, he hadn’t got him involved in this, too, had he? Great, that would mean even more work for him. It was now more important than ever to ensure that he gave the man a fair hearing and followed the letter of the law exactly.

‘Do we need to wait for him to arrive?’ he asked, his tone hinting that he hoped that wasn’t the case. It was sod’s law that he had a particularly busy caseload that day and didn’t really want to spend a large chunk of it waiting for Malfoy’s relatives.

Lucius shook his head. ‘No. There’s a fair bit to cover, so it’s probably best if I go through it with you and then we’ll see where we need to go from there. Hopefully, Draco should have arrived by that time.’

There was a pause whilst Leach and McPhail went to get some more chairs to accommodate the extra people, during which the two men had a very hurried discussion about the case, continued whilst the two Ministry employees seated themselves behind the desk facing Lucius and Crystal.

Leach smiled. ‘If you don’t mind waiting for just a few minutes longer, Mr Malfoy, I’d really like to have a quick read of your file and see exactly where things stand from the Ministry’s side of things so that I can give the best possible advice after you’ve explained your perspective on the situation.’

Lucius nodded graciously and smiled back. ‘Of course. I’m happy to wait if it means getting justice for the way the Ministry of Magic has treated us in the past.’

Leach ignored the jibe and picked up the folder that was on the desk, scanning the documents within as rapidly as possible to remind himself of the case although he hadn’t really forgotten much of the history. As he reached the current partnership he discovered that, as anticipated, due to Crystal Malfoy’s pregnancy the Ministry had not annulled the union. Theoretically, all there was to do was to remind the couple legally that the death charm had been removed and send them on their way with congratulations for a successful bonding. But obviously it wasn’t going to be that easy; asking the question he was going to have to ask would be sure to open up a whole can of worms.

Leach looked politely at Lucius once more. ‘As I’m sure you are aware, Mr Malfoy, this interview is really just a formality. As it’s quite clear that your wife is pregnant, there has been no requirement for an annulment. Therefore we need only fulfil our legal obligation of assuring you that the charm which was placed upon you for the first two years of your union has now been removed and you are, as far as the Ministry of Magic is concerned, free to go about your business with no further intervention from us. However, I understand you have some query about your bonding that you wish to raise.’

Lucius nodded his head. ‘Firstly, I should point out that Crystal is _not_ my wife, nor will she ever be. Julia — who I am sure you will remember from last time we were here, as you were so rude to her — is, as I told you at the time, the only woman I accept as my wife, and that situation hasn’t changed.

‘It’s true that Crystal is pregnant. However, the child isn’t mine and I refuse to take responsibility for or have anything to do with it. That being the case, we as a couple have failed to conceive a child within the specified time limit and therefore have _not_ met the terms of the stated contract. Under the Ministry’s own rules this means that our bond should be annulled with immediate effect.’

Leach didn’t say anything immediately but looked appraisingly at both Lucius and Crystal as if gauging their reaction. It was clear that Malfoy believed implicitly what he was saying, although he had as yet offered no proof as to why he wasn’t the father. Crystal appeared to be rather upset at her husband’s comments, but that wasn’t really much of a surprise considering what Malfoy had just inferred about her. If what Malfoy had said was true, then he was right that the bonding would be invalid and the Ministry would need to act accordingly. He, therefore, needed to hear more on the issue before he could make a decisive judgement.

‘And what have you to say about this matter, Mrs Malfoy?’ Leach asked Crystal.

Crystal knew she had to be careful. If she said the wrong thing now, she could be proved a liar. She had to stay calm and be noncommittal until she heard Lucius’ story and could work out one of her own that would counteract his assertion that he wasn’t the father. Willing herself to cry, something she had always had a talent for, she shook her head as she looked at the officials behind the table, wiping away tears as she stammered, ‘I can’t . . . I just don’t understand . . . .’

‘It’s all right, Mrs Malfoy,’ Leach said soothingly. ‘Please calm yourself.’

Crystal pulled a handkerchief from her handbag and began to dab at her eyes, sniffing occasionally as she did so.

‘Mr Malfoy, as your wife is not in any fit state to talk at the moment perhaps you can explain to us why you believe you are not the father of her child,’ Leach suggested.

Lucius gave another pleasant smile. ‘I shall be most happy to do so.’ He glanced at Crystal for a moment then turned back to the officials. ‘I can guarantee the child isn’t mine because I am infertile.’ He saw Leach look as if he was about to say something and continued, ‘Yes . . . I know I already have a son from my first marriage, so obviously I was able to conceive previously. But when you forced me into bonding with Crystal you gave me no choice. There was no way on earth I was going to stay bonded to her for a moment longer than I had to and it was vital there was no possible chance for her to get pregnant. So I went out into the Muggle world to visit a medical clinic where I was given a vasectomy. I don’t know if you know what a vasectomy is?’

McPhail looked bemused and Leach frowned.  

‘I believe I may have heard the term before but I’m not entirely sure what it is, so perhaps you could enlighten us,’ Leach said.

‘Certainly. As you will recall, the Ministry insists that a couple has to have made adequate attempts to conceive before they will consider annulling the bonding. This obviously meant that I couldn’t just refuse to have sex nor could I use a contraceptive charm as that would surely be picked up . . . and, of course, those have been known to fail, especially if the other partner is using something like a fertility charm at the same time.’ He glanced again at Crystal, who was trying hard not to look guilty. ‘In the Muggle world, men who no longer want to have children and who want a fool-proof method of contraception submit to a minor medical procedure called a vasectomy in which the tubes inside the scrotum are cut and tied, stopping the sperm from escaping. The procedure doesn’t take long to perform, is not overly expensive or painful, and is completely undetectable once completed as it doesn’t stop ejaculation, just ensures that the sperm aren’t released. Hence, it was a useful way to get round the problem of having to try for a baby and yet ensure that it didn’t happen.’

‘But surely no method is one hundred percent effective,’ Leach said. ‘There must be a slight possibility that there was an accident which resulted in your wife’s pregnancy.’

‘Ah, no.’ Lucius replied smugly. ‘You see, a vasectomy is the closest thing to perfect contraception you can get. It’s true that very occasionally it doesn’t work properly and there is a random pregnancy, but that almost always occurs within the first few months of the operation happening and is usually because the procedure hasn’t been done correctly. But even if that were the case it certainly wouldn’t happen after eighteen months. Anyway, I was thoroughly checked at regular intervals and it was confirmed that my sperm count was zero. Because of that I am absolutely certain there is no way the baby could possibly be mine.’       

Leach looked at Crystal, who had paled considerably at Lucius’ explanation. He was fairly certain that Malfoy was correct and the baby wasn’t his but without concrete proof, unless the wife confessed to her infidelity there wasn’t really very much they could do about it except to censure Malfoy for his attempt to subvert the law, and they were going to have to do that anyway.

‘Do you have anything to say at this point?’ he asked Crystal. ‘Would you like to explain your side of things now that we’ve heard Mr Malfoy’s accusation?’

Crystal looked panicked for a moment but she had been thinking about what to say all the time Lucius was speaking. She knew Ginny and Draco, and probably Lucius and Julia, too, thought her stupid, but whilst she would be the first to admit that she wasn’t particularly clever, book-wise at least, she had researched the bonding law thoroughly and was aware that without incontrovertible proof there was nothing the Ministry could do unless she confessed.

If she stayed silent there would be no annulment — although remembering Lucius’ threat, that would leave the problem of how she would survive now the death charm was no longer in place. She would just have to hope the threat of what the Ministry would do to Lucius if anything happened to her would be enough to protect her from his wrath. She would need to be careful not to overdo the denial though or it would seem false and then, just maybe, the Ministry would feel moved to investigate, and if that happened they might actually track down the real father, even though he had been well paid to keep quiet.

‘I don’t know what to say,’ Crystal told Leach using her weakest, girliest voice. She still sounded tearful. ‘I haven’t done anything and I don’t understand why Lucius is being like this. I thought he was _happy_ about the baby. He’s never mentioned anything about any of this. It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.’

‘You haven’t mentioned your suspicions to your wife before?’ Leach asked Lucius, sounding curious.

‘I told you, she’s not my wife,’ Lucius stated coldly. ‘And no, I didn’t tell her I knew because I didn’t want to give her a chance to think of some ridiculous excuse to tell you. The important people in my life knew, and that was all that mattered to me at the time.’ He turned and gazed fondly at Julia for a moment.

Crystal looked at Lucius with surprise. Draco and Ginny had known about the baby and yet not one of them had let it slip. She turned to look at Julia, too, and realised it wasn’t a surprise to her, either. But that would mean that she and Lucius had been in contact after the wedding. She hadn’t disappeared from their lives after all.

‘Anyway, not telling her also gave us time to track down the real father.’ 

Crystal felt her blood run cold. If they had managed to find him and convinced him to talk, the deception was over. There was nothing she could do but accept defeat. But that would be a really bitter blow.

‘And did you find the father?’ Leach asked interestedly.

Lucius shook his head. Crystal relaxed and her heart, which had started beating faster at the thought of being caught out, slowed once more.

‘No,’ Lucius admitted. ‘I’ve been given several leads, but considering the amount of my money Crystal has spent over the last two years I imagine he’s been very well paid to keep quiet. To be honest I wasn’t that bothered about finding him, as I knew that if it came down to it I could always prove that I wasn’t the father.’

Leach looked interested. Crystal looked worried again.

‘How can you prove it?’ Leach asked.

‘The Muggles, who are far more ingenious than I ever realized, have a test to establish paternity. It doesn’t take long and is completely accurate as it’s based on the DNA of the father. I am more than willing to undergo this test, as it will prove once and for all that I am _not_ the father of Crystal’s baby. I think we can probably all agree that a refusal to take the test on Crystal’s part would be an admission that I am not the father, can’t we?’

Leach thought about it for a moment and then nodded. ‘I think that would be a fair enough assumption. And how long would it take before this test could be done and the results processed?’

‘The clinic I used for the vasectomy would be able to do the test as soon as we can get there, and the results could be provided within a couple of hours as I am more than willing to pay the necessary fee to get it processed immediately. Certainly, if we went now we would have the results before the end of the working day, and in time for the union to be annulled today. I really don’t want to be bonded to this woman for one minute longer than I have to be.’

Leach looked at Crystal. ‘I assume you are willing to get this test done to prove the paternity question beyond doubt?’

Crystal didn’t answer immediately as she debated what to do. Lucius had beaten her. There was no way she would be able to fake the test, and while it would delay things by a few hours her marriage to him would still be over before the end of the day. She could drag things out by insisting on the test, but he had plenty of money and it wouldn’t bother him to spend whatever he had to in order to get rid of her.

Making him wait would delay his attempt to remarry Julia, too, which Crystal could do to get her revenge on them, but Lucius was as single-minded about achieving that as he was about proving her a liar. She could easily imagine him just deciding to up sticks to the Muggle world in order to make sure that went through today as well, rather than arguing any further with the Ministry about whether or not they could remarry. It seemed that Lucius’ dislike of Muggles wasn’t anywhere near as severe as had been made out by the newspapers, as he was content to rely on them — and for medical matters, too.

Even she had to admit the vasectomy had been a genius move. If she hadn’t been so intent on keeping hold of Malfoy Manor and the money that went with being his wife, no one would ever have known their attempts to conceive had never had any chance of success, especially when Lucius had been so diligent in making sure they had tried at the most likely times for conception. Certainly, it would never have occurred to the Ministry that someone could be that duplicitous, especially someone who apparently hated Muggles so much.

For a few seconds she wondered whether Lucius had lied about when the vasectomy had been done and had in fact done it when he was with Julia and that was why she had never conceived either, and unexpectedly found herself feeling sorry for the woman. If things had gone according to Lucius’ plan Crystal would have found herself in the same boat as the older woman and might, as Julia had done, have thought she was unable to have children. If that was the case it was a very cruel thing to do to both of them. How would Julia feel if she discovered that the man she loved so much had deceived her that way?

Crystal realised that everyone was looking at her, waiting for her response. With a loud sigh she shook her head.

‘All right, I admit the baby isn’t Lucius’, but if he hadn’t gone out of his way to circumvent the Ministry law then no one would have been any the wiser.’ She looked at Leach intently. ‘I do hope you intend to do something about the fact that he deliberately attempted to stop conception?’

Leach nodded, but before he could say anything Crystal turned to Lucius.

‘So when did you really have the vasectomy, Lucius? Did you have it for me like you said or did you really have it when you married Julia? After all, she never conceived and that could quite easily be the reason.’

Out the corner of her eye, Crystal saw the look of shock that crossed Julia’s face at her comment. Had she really never considered it before? Was her faith in Lucius that absolute? She looked back at Lucius. He was clearly furious with her comment.

‘My vasectomy happened the day after you and I consummated the bonding,’ Lucius told her coldly. ‘I did use a contraceptive charm on that occasion as we had to get the consummation out of the way so we wouldn’t become ill and there wouldn’t have been time for me to recover from the surgery before that. I can assure everyone that prior to my being forced to bond with you, my tackle was in full working order.’

Suddenly angry at Lucius’ response, Crystal turned to look at Julia. Bitchily she said, ‘So you really are defective, then, Julia. I thought maybe Lucius had treated you in the same shabby way he treated me, but apparently not. You really aren’t much of a woman, are you?’

Crystal saw Lucius rear up in anger as Julia turned away in pain at her words, and she couldn’t help feeling a small moment of triumph. The bitch may have been on the verge of getting her place back within the Malfoy family, but Crystal had managed to remind the Ministry that Julia wasn’t capable of bearing children so they would have no choice but to block Lucius’ plans for remarriage. The Muggle world would be the only place for Lucius and Julia now.

Leach had been instructing McPhail to go and arrange the annulment when Crystal asked Lucius her question. As Lucius reacted, Leach stepped in to calm the man down before something serious happened that would cause an even bigger problem for him.

‘Miss Lufkin,’ he said, calling Crystal by her maiden name. Crystal looked at him in surprise. ‘Mr McPhail is about to arrange the annulment between you and Mr Malfoy. As you are pregnant, you are not currently eligible to be bonded and therefore you may now leave. I can assure you I will deal with Mr Malfoy’s unusual attempt to evade the law.’ Crystal looked as if she was about to say something when he added, ‘Please leave, Miss Lufkin. If you make any further defamatory comments you may end up in trouble yourself and we wouldn’t want that, would we?’

Crystal looked mulish but she stood up and began to walk towards the door.

‘They’re not going to let you remarry each other, you know,’ she said, sounding smug. ‘It doesn’t matter how much money you’ve got, Lucius — even you can’t buy off the Ministry of Magic. Enjoy the Muggle world.’

McPhail followed her out the door.


	13. Chapter 13

 

Lucius was desperate to comfort Julia, knowing that Crystal had done her best to upset her. But Leach was already turning his attention to him once more and he knew he had to deal with the official first. At least Julia wasn’t sitting alone.

‘I assume I don’t need to point out to you that your behaviour with regard to your deliberate attempt to prevent conception is a crime under the law?’ Leach asked, sounding serious.

Lucius shrugged. ‘As I told you before, you gave me no choice. If you’d let Julia and me stay together as we wanted, it never would have happened.’

Leach sighed. ‘But as we discussed at the time, Mr Malfoy, there was no point in us allowing you to have another two years together when Miss Carlisle was unlikely to conceive. Or do you have something to tell me with regard to that as well?’

Lucius reacted angrily. ‘As I told Crystal, everything was in full working order when Julia and I were together. However, unlike you I don’t believe Julia isn’t able to have children. We are both of an age where the idea of raising a baby really doesn’t appeal. My son and daughter-in-law will possibly be starting their own family shortly, and both of us much prefer the idea of being grandparents rather than parents.

‘As Julia never wanted to have children in the first place I believe her body was reacting in line with her wishes, as was mine — if you remember, I made it perfectly clear at the time that I had no desire to procreate again. I am aware that what I did with regard to the vasectomy was wrong but I am unable to feel any guilt over it, and to be honest I’m not sure what you think you can do to punish me, although I’d be interested to hear.’

Leach had been wondering that, too. Although Lucius had certainly broken the law with his actions, there was little the Ministry of Magic could actually do to him. A fine was pointless considering the man’s extensive wealth. Leach wasn’t sure whether anything like this had ever happened before — certainly he couldn’t recall it happening in the time he had been head of the department — but the logical response would have been to force Malfoy to have the medical procedure reversed; he assumed it could be done as the man had said the tube had been tied.

Then he could sentence Malfoy to another two years with his current partner, under strict watch of the Ministry to ensure that he couldn’t pull the same trick again. But with Crystal having already pulled a trick of her own, leaving the Ministry no choice but to annul the partnership because of that, the logical action wasn’t viable, either. This left only the possibility of re-bonding Malfoy, but that would then bring them, as it always seemed to, back to the problem of Miss Carlisle.

As far as the Ministry were concerned, Miss Carlisle was still classified as barren and was not eligible to become Malfoy’s wife again. Without proof to the contrary there was no way Leach could re-classify her without landing himself under intense scrutiny. He supposed that most people would probably think the easiest thing to do was to ignore the vasectomy, re-classify Malfoy as sterile, and have him removed from the eligibility list.

He and Miss Carlisle would then be free to go outside of the Ministry to marry, perfectly legitimately, and the Ministry of Magic — and Leach in particular — would be rid of an all too regularly recurring problem for good. Unfortunately, easy or not, he wasn’t the sort of man who could turn a blind eye to what Malfoy had done; nor would he be able to even if he wanted to, as McPhail had been in the room when Malfoy had made his confession and Leach had promised Miss Lufkin that punishment would be forthcoming. If she were to query what had happened, his department would need to be able to give a credible response.

Leach sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, then announced, ‘Under the circumstances, Mr Malfoy, the Ministry will have to insist that you have your vasectomy reversed, which I assume can be done. You remain eligible for pairing and therefore you will be subject to a new bonding. As was the case previously, Miss Carlisle remains ineligible to be paired with you, regardless of your “feelings” about her fertility, so a new partner will be chosen. You will, of course, be subject to all the same rules as usual — but additionally, once the bonding ceremony has taken place, the Ministry will arrange for regular inspections to ensure that you don’t attempt to subvert the possibility of conception a second time.

‘I understand that you will find this decision disappointing, Mr Malfoy, particularly in light of your desire to remarry Miss Carlisle. Would I be right in assuming you hoped you would be re-classified as ineligible due to your current inability to impregnate?’

Lucius shook his head and said mildly, ‘No, not really. To be honest, I expected you to request the reversal — which _is_ possible, by the way, although I don’t think I’ll bother. As I said, Julia and I have no interest in having children. I expected you to mention yet another tiresome attempt to bond me to someone completely unsuitable, too, but as my only interest is in remarrying Julia, that’s pretty much a non-starter as well.’

Leach looked surprised. ‘Surely I don’t have to remind you, Mr Malfoy, that refusal to accept the Ministry’s choice of partner for bonding will result in you forfeiting your place within the wizarding world and the confiscation of your wand? I hardly think you will want to—’

‘I am perfectly happy to hand in my wand if need be,’ Lucius said firmly, cutting off Leach. ‘I will not have any other wife than Julia, and if the Ministry keeps insisting on trying to pair me with other people then I have no choice but to say no.’ Leach looked even more surprised at his comment. ‘However, I should inform you that my son is, as we speak, discussing our situation directly with Kingsley Shacklebolt, and I strongly believe that given the Malfoys’ position within wizarding society, the Minister will agree to allow us to be remarried and stay within the wizarding world. I’m sure he won’t be much longer.’

‘The problem is that the letter of the law has to be followed, Mr Malfoy,’ Leach said. ‘Whilst the Minister may give his agreement in principle, it is hard to see what could practicably be done to allow the two of you to be married. As I’ve already explained we will not be able to remove you from the eligibility list and Miss Carlisle cannot be added back on. It’s something of a stalemate situation, I’m afraid.’

‘Are you willing to wait until Draco arrives before making your decision?’ Lucius asked. ‘I’d really rather not give up my wand if there turns out to be no need for it, and I know Julia feels the same way.’

Leach looked at Julia. Although he had been discussing her, he had forgotten the woman was in the room. He had also not considered the fact that she too would leave the wizarding world if Malfoy followed through on his word. If he was honest, he was still trying to accept the fact that Malfoy was seriously considering it, especially given his history. But McPhail hadn’t yet returned, which meant Malfoy’s annulment and replacement partner hadn’t finished processing, so in theory there was currently no decision to make. That being the case, it made sense for him to wait before making a pronouncement that would need to be rescinded should the Minister for Magic decide in Lucius’ favour.

‘I can do nothing until McPhail returns with confirmation of your annulment and your new pairing anyway,’ Leach admitted. ‘So I can wait until then, at least. However, once your new partner arrives I will have no choice but to instruct McPhail to conduct the bonding ceremony, with all that entails.’ 

‘Thank you,’ Lucius said. ‘Hopefully, my son won’t be too much longer and we can finally get this all sorted out to everyone’s satisfaction. If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I need to speak to Julia.’

He stood up and stretched, then walked over to where Julia and Ginny were sitting. He bent down next to Julia.

‘Are you all right?’ he asked tenderly. ‘I’m aware Crystal was trying specifically to upset you again and I was worried she had succeeded. I know what a bitch she can be.’

Julia smiled at him, her hand brushing his hair back from his face. ‘She was just being her usual self, wasn’t she, and was pissed off that she got caught out.’ She looked at him appraisingly and asked quietly, ‘Are you okay? If you’ve changed your mind about the bonding I don’t mind. Honestly.’

Lucius grabbed her hands, holding them tightly as he kissed them. ‘I have absolutely no intention of changing my mind, my love. Everything is ready should we have to go. But I don’t think we will. Draco will be here soon with good news, I’m sure. I told you, by the end of the day you will be my wife again, one way or another.’

‘Do you want me to go and see where they are?’ Ginny asked.

Lucius shook his head. ‘No, it’s all right. They won’t be much longer, I’m sure.’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

About five minutes later the door opened and McPhail entered, looking worried. He walked over to where Leach was sitting and had a quiet conversation with the man. Julia and Lucius, who were still sitting together, looked interestedly at the two officials.

‘If he’s back, then the bonding ceremony will have to start,’ Lucius said, sounding a little disappointed. ‘I think we’re out of time.’

Julia squeezed his hand. ‘Whatever you choose to do I’ll stand by you this time, Lucius. I promise.’

Lucius shook his head and rolled his eyes. ‘I’ve already told you what I’m going to do. Get your wand ready, Mrs Malfoy. We’re off to become Muggles.’ He stood up, leaning over to give Julia a brief peck on the end of her nose. ‘I love you, Julia.’

‘I love you, too, Lucius.’

The two men had finished talking now, and as Lucius made his way back to the seat by the desk McPhail walked back to the door. Lucius looked at Leach, whose face was completely neutral.

‘There’s no point in getting Julia and Ginny to leave for this,’ Lucius told the man. ‘I won’t accept the pairing so we might just as well get it over and done with as quickly as possible.’

‘Mr McPhail just came to tell me that the Minister for Magic is on his way up,’ Leach said. ‘The Minister wanted to be sure we didn’t start on the bonding ceremony until he arrived. McPhail has just gone to meet him.’

Lucius couldn’t stop the grin that crossed his face at this news. He looked around at Julia and saw her smiling happily, too, hugging Ginny as they talked excitedly. A few minutes later the door opened once more and McPhail was back, this time leading a tall black man in a blue and black patterned robe who was followed by Draco and Harry. The two younger men peeled off to join Ginny and Julia and McPhail moved to join Leach behind the desk. Kingsley Shacklebolt stopped at Lucius’ chair and stuck out his hand as Lucius stood to greet him.

‘So I hear you’ve been having a bit of a problem getting yourself settled in marriage, Lucius,’ Kingsley said, his rich, melodious voice sounding amused.

‘Your officials will keep trying to bond me to the most inappropriate people, Kingsley. And they keep ignoring my _wife_.’ He indicated Julia, who gave a small wave as Kingsley smiled at her.

‘So tell me briefly, Duggold, what is the current situation between Lucius and Julia?’ Kingsley asked, looking back at Leach.

‘Mr Malfoy had a medical procedure performed to ensure that his most recent wife couldn’t get pregnant and hence the bonding would be annulled. Obviously, having discovered this we can’t let the crime go unpunished, so he has been informed that the procedure needs to be reversed and he will be monitored by the Ministry to ensure that he doesn’t attempt it again.

‘However, Mr Malfoy’s wife had taken her own steps to become pregnant, but as the child isn’t Mr Malfoy’s we had no choice but to annul the marriage anyway. Mr Malfoy was pinning his hopes on being reunited with Miss Carlisle, however, she is _not_ eligible to be bonded to Mr Malfoy; by virtue of the fact that it is highly likely she is unable to have children.

‘Therefore, Mr Malfoy will be bonded with another witch unless he chooses, as he has already indicated to me he will, to turn down the pairing — in which case he will be subject to forfeit under the law and will be expelled from the wizarding world, and his wand will be confiscated and destroyed.’

Kingsley turned to Lucius. ‘So you’re thinking of leaving, are you?’

Lucius shook his head. ‘Not thinking about it, Kingsley — doing it. Unless you stop this stupid sham of a bonding ceremony that your officials are trying to get me to go through yet again, Julia and I will be handing in our wands. We didn’t want our marriage annulled two years ago but the Ministry did it anyway even though they knew how unhappy it would make us.

‘They paired me with the most unsuitable person they could find, with whom I have just spent two excruciatingly long and miserable years and now they’re determined that I have to bond with someone else when the only person I have ever accepted as being my wife, and the woman I love, is Julia. I understand that this is a law. But it’s ridiculous to keep us apart when we are so much in love with each other. We would rather be together in the Muggle world than be apart in this one.’

Kingsley’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he listened to Lucius talk so passionately. ‘Love truly has changed you, Lucius,’ he said, sounding impressed. He nodded his head. ‘That’s a good thing.’

He turned back to Leach. ‘So the issue here is that they are not eligible to be bonded, is that correct?’ Leach nodded. ‘But they _were_ eligible when they first married. So what changed?’

‘Miss Carlisle failed to get pregnant, Minister,’ Leach told him bluntly. ‘Mr Malfoy and Miss Carlisle did desire to stay together, it’s true, and they tried to convince us not to annul the bonding. But it was clear to us that there was little chance of a successful pregnancy occurring between them and the two-year period was up, so Mr Malfoy was re-bonded and Miss Carlisle was removed from the eligibility list.’

Kingsley frowned. ‘On what grounds did you decide Julia was the one who was unable to conceive? Did you have medical information?’

Leach looked grave and shook his head. ‘No, Minister. But Mal — Mr Malfoy has a child from his first marriage, so he can clearly have children. It is part of the contract that a baby should be conceived within the first two years or the bond is annulled. As there was no pregnancy, the annulment happened automatically and because of Mr Malfoy’s history it was decided that Miss Carlisle was probably unable to bear children.’

‘I’m not sure I’m very happy with this decision, Duggold, especially if there was no medical evidence to back it up,’ Kingsley said. ‘Also, knowing how much the couple wanted to stay married, why did you not just remove Lucius from the eligibility list too?’  

Leach’s tone was obsequious. ‘Minister, with the best will in the world, with the number of people being bonded every year we don’t have the time or resources to do medical checks on all the people who don’t conceive within the two years. This is why we make it a standard part of the contract. Most couples who are serious about continuing their relationship ensure they have conceived during this period.

‘Miss Carlisle was removed from the eligibility list but Mr Malfoy couldn’t be removed because he was still potentially fertile. We had no hesitation in annulling the bond as it was clear from their records that Mr Malfoy and Miss Carlisle had no interest in remaining bonded past the two-year point.’ 

‘Really? And yet I understand that they actually spent quite some time attempting to convince you that they wanted to stay together, that they asked to be re-bonded when they discovered you had annulled the marriage. In fact, Lucius has consistently told you he wouldn’t accept anyone else as his wife, hasn’t he?’

Leach looked a little abashed. ‘That’s true, they did ask for an extension. But the law is the law, Minister. We can’t change it as and when we wish, otherwise it would be a pointless piece of legislation. Once you change it for one person, everyone will want their exception to be taken seriously,’ Leach warned.  ‘Eventually, Mr Malfoy saw sense and re-bonded.’

‘Only because you gave me no choice,’ Lucius said bitterly. ‘But I refuse to go through that again. I would rather give up my wand this time.’

Kingsley patted Lucius’ arm soothingly but continued to look at Leach. ‘So could Lucius be removed from the list as a second bonding has been annulled due to lack of conception? Surely there must now be doubt of his ability to provide a child?’ Kingsley asked. 

Leach shook his head, looking outraged. ‘As I said, Minister, we can’t manipulate the law in this way. Anyway, Mr Malfoy circumvented the conception process and he cannot be allowed to get away with that. It is impossible for him to be removed from the list merely because of his duplicity. He has to be made to take full and proper part in the conception process.’

‘So you’re saying that Julia was removed from the list because of an arbitrary decision made by officials from the Ministry of Magic, even though you didn’t know for sure that she was infertile — but Lucius can’t be removed, even though you know for certain that he is currently unable to impregnate anyone, because he took matters into his own hands?’ Kingsley’s tone had become disbelieving.

‘He broke the law, Minister, and he needs to be punished for that. Also, his ex-wife wanted assurance that we wouldn’t just let him get away with it so we have to be transparent about this. We can’t just remove him from the list when it’s quite possible that a reversal of the procedure would be enough to make him fertile again.’

Kingsley thought about what Leach was saying for a short while. ‘I think the easiest way to deal with this in the short term is to put Julia back on the eligibility list. I assume this would mean that Lucius and Julia would then be a match for re-bonding?’

Leach looked horrified. ‘But, Minister, we can’t just allow them to re-bond. It’s in complete violation of the law.’

‘No it isn’t,’ Kingsley said mildly. ‘You’ve just told me there is no medical evidence to support your assertion that Julia is unable to have children. I believe this provides sufficient doubt to make it necessary that she be placed back on the list. As that means she will once again be eligible to pair with Lucius there is absolutely no reason why the two of them should not be re-bonded. I am sure Lucius will be willing to have the vasectomy reversed, even though I doubt he will be keen to do so as I am aware that neither he nor Julia desire to start a family at their age. This will satisfy the terms of your punishment for him, and you can safely tell the ex-partner this should she ask.

‘I think going forward there will need to be a rewrite of the law and work will need to be done to ensure that it is interpreted in a way that is beneficial for those facing bonding. There also needs to be a serious re-examination of what happens at the two-year period. Whilst sticking to the letter of the law is preferable where possible, in this instance it’s caused nothing but pain and unhappiness.

‘If you had taken a more lenient approach when Lucius and Julia had asked to be re-bonded — had you given Julia the benefit of the doubt with regard to her fertility — Lucius would not have found himself in a position where he felt he had no choice but to break the law. Nor would the leading member of one of our oldest and most noble Pure-blood families have been seriously contemplating leaving the wizarding world forever. The idea of the law, as I’m sure you’re aware, Duggold, is to produce strong wizarding families, not to tear them apart and have them leaving to live in the Muggle world.’

‘That’s all very well,’ Leach said, trying not to smart at the criticism. ‘But what happens in two years’ time when she still hasn’t got pregnant?’

‘We’ll worry about that if it comes to it,’ Kingsley said, sounding completely unconcerned. ‘I’m thinking that for those couples who truly fall in love, we should give them the opportunity to retain their relationship forever, not just for two years. Annulment after two years should be optional and only applied in those extreme circumstances where it has been medically proven that there is no chance of a child _and_ the couple no longer wish to remain together because of that lack of a child. Both these things should need to occur for the bonding to be annulled. This will make for a much fairer law.’ He looked at the downhearted official and said gently, ‘So, Duggold, do you agree that Julia can be re-added to the eligibility list?’

Leach nodded. ‘Yes, I suppose so. You’re right, of course, that it isn’t breaking the law by adding her back, even though we know—’

‘Ah, but we don’t. That’s the whole point,’ Kingsley pointed out. ‘As I said, no medical evidence.’

Leach sighed. ‘All right.’ He turned to McPhail, who was looking confused by the whole thing, and had a brief but intense conversation with him. Then he looked at Julia. ‘Miss Carlisle, you have been re-added to the eligibility list and have been chosen to bond with Lucius Malfoy. Could you please come up here and join us so the bonding ceremony can take place?’   

Ginny squeezed Julia’s hand as she stood up and Draco and Harry both smiled at her as she made her way towards the desk. She took the seat next to Lucius’ and grinned at him.

Leach opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out a box. As he opened it, Lucius remembered the wedding ring in his pocket. He pulled it out with a flourish.

‘Ah, Mr Leach. I wonder if you would mind using this ring. I bought it for Julia for our second wedding anniversary but she didn’t get much use out of it.’

With a smile he passed the ring to Leach, who looked at it carefully for a few seconds and then placed it on the box he had pulled from the drawer and passed it to McPhail.

They sat there, Lucius and Julia looking across the desk at the two officials, neither of whom were saying anything.

‘Well, go on then, perform the ceremony,’ Kingsley finally told the flustered official with a broad smile that showed his white teeth. ‘I think Lucius and Julia have better things to be doing than spending all day here.’ He winked at the pair of them, then moved to join Ginny, Draco and Harry so he could better watch the proceedings.

‘Erm,’ Mr McPhail looked down at his folder, checking his words even though he had said them so many times he should know them off by heart. ‘So . . . do you want the life bonding?’ he asked tentatively.

Lucius nodded. ‘Definitely. I’m not giving her a chance to get away again.’ He grinned happily.

‘And . . . erm . . . what about the life charm?’

Julia smiled this time. ‘Yes, I think you’d better include that otherwise Lucius will probably be dead within a week because I’ll have killed him.’

‘Is that right?’ Lucius asked, his voice a seductive drawl. ‘And what would you do if I died?’

‘Spend all your money,’ Julia said jokingly.

Lucius snorted. ‘No you wouldn’t. You never spend any money . . . although maybe you would finally buy some decent clothes, for the funeral at least.’

Julia took a swipe at his arm. ‘Don’t be so bloody cheeky or I’ll refuse to bond with you.’

‘Ha! That’s never going to happen either. You know you can’t live without me,’ Lucius told her smugly.

‘That’s what you think,’ Julia retorted good-naturedly.

Lucius looked interested. ‘Or do you want to go and live in the Muggle world that badly? We can do it, if you want. I wouldn’t mind giving it a try for a few years.’

Julia looked horrified. ‘You’ve got to be joking. I don’t mind visiting but I’m not living there. Anyway, shut up or they’ll never get the ceremony finished.’

Lucius grinned once more and grabbed Julia’s hand but he didn’t say anything further. The couple turned to face the officials.

McPhail picked up the parchment, his mouth dry. He had never had to do a ceremony in front of so many people, nor had the actual Minister for Magic ever been in attendance. He gave a nervous cough to clear his throat.

‘Lucius Malfoy, you have been chosen to be paired with Julia Louisa Carlisle. Do you accept the pairing in the full knowledge that you will be expected to live together as a married couple and bear children with your wife?’

‘I accept,’ Lucius replied smoothly. He smiled as he squeezed Julia’s hand and winked at her.

McPhail coughed again. ‘Julia Louisa Carlisle, you have been chosen to be paired with Lucius Malfoy. Do you accept the pairing in the full knowledge that you will be expected to live together as a married couple and bear children with your husband?’

Julia stared appraisingly at Lucius for a moment as if weighing up the options.

‘Of course I do,’ she replied. Lucius beamed again.

 

. . .

 

‘I want to thank you, Minister,’ Julia said once the ceremony was finished and she and the rest of the party had left the office. They were standing in the waiting room conversing quietly.

‘You are absolutely welcome, Julia,’ Kingsley said with a smile, ‘and please call me Kingsley. I’m just sorry you had to go through such an awful interview last time and everything that followed. It should never have happened. At least we can make sure it will never happen again.’

Julia smiled in return. ‘To be honest, I think the whole law could probably do with an overhaul, not just that one bit.’

Kingsley looked thoughtful. ‘You know, you might be right. It has been in place for a few years now. Perhaps it’s time we looked at its effectiveness overall. I shall have to commission a study.’ He looked at Lucius, who was busy talking to Harry and Draco. ‘What plans have you two got for the rest of the day?’

Julia shrugged. ‘I’ve no idea what Lucius has got planned but I imagine me moving back into Malfoy Manor will have something to do with it.’ She thought for a moment then added wryly, ‘I think I’d better go and try to get my job back as well.’

Kingsley looked confused. ‘Why would you need to get your job back?’

Julia looked embarrassed. ‘I thought we were going to have to move to the Muggle world so I gave in my notice at St Mungo’s, just in case. I really am a terrible pessimist, I’m afraid.’

‘Well, I’m sure they’ll be pleased to discover they’re not losing you. But if you do have any trouble let me know and I’ll sort them out.’ Kingsley chuckled.

 Julia shook her head. ‘It’ll be okay. Lucius is friends with the Director of the hospital.’

Lucius came over and put his arm around Julia’s waist. ‘Are you ready to go?’ he asked gently.

Julia nodded. ‘Yes, I think so. What are we doing?’

‘Lunch with Ginny and Draco. You’re welcome to join us if you wish, Kingsley.’ Kingsley shook his head and gestured towards the door then walked away, leaving the two of them alone. ‘Then back to Malfoy Manor to calm down our distraught house-elves, who will have convinced themselves that we’ve been murdered in the Muggle world by now,’ Lucius said.

‘Why will they think that?’ Julia asked.

‘Oh, well, I had Moki pack me a suitcase this morning just in case we had to leave. I wasn’t taking any chances. I did ask him not to say anything to the others, but you know what he’s like — his face will give it away and then they’ll badger it out of him.’

‘We’d better go and reassure them,’ Julia said. ‘Do you want to go there first?’

‘No, they can wait until we’ve eaten,’ Lucius said. ‘I want to thank Draco for his efforts on our behalf. Anyway, they’ll soon be okay again when they realise you’re moving back home.’ He pulled Julia into a hug.

‘Can we pop into St Mungo’s on the way home?’ Julia asked.

‘Do I need to talk to the Director?’ Lucius sounded amused.

‘No . . . erm . . . well . . . maybe,’ Julia conceded.

‘You resigned,’ Lucius said. Julia nodded. Lucius sighed and kissed her head. ‘We’ll get it sorted out, don’t worry.’

He took her left hand and brought it up so he could look at the ring on her finger.

‘Finally, everything’s perfect,’ he said. ‘I love you, Julia.’

‘Completely,’ Julia agreed happily. ‘I love you, too, Lucius.’

‘Then let’s go and enjoy lunch . . . and then we can go and consummate our marriage,’ Lucius told her with a salacious wink.

Julia laughed delightedly. Lucius was in for a treat when they got home. She was sure he was going to love the extremely sexy underwear she had bought for the occasion. She smiled happily, a warm glow in her heart as she and Lucius followed Draco and Ginny out of the waiting room and down the corridor towards the lift. After everything they had been through she was finally Lucius’ wife again, and everything really was going to be absolutely perfect from now on. 


End file.
